Pharmaceutical Atlas shakes up common myths regarding pharmaceutical spending in statutory health insurance

The theory that statutory health insurance is burdened with unnecessary spending amounts worth billions, because physicians prescribe expensive innovative pharmaceuticals with no additional medical benefit, is no longer tenable. This theory was based on the so-called structural component of the Arzneiverordnungs-Report (Pharmaceutical Prescription Report - PPR).

The Pharmaceutical Atlas, which was introduced on September 27, 2006, has now calculated this structural component in a much more differentiated manner than the PPR, thereby avoiding methodological errors and inaccuracies that can be found in the PPR to the present day.

The Pharmaceutical Atlas shows that additional spending is primarily due to improved pharmaceutical care for seriously and very seriously ill patients. On the other hand, physicians had already largely followed the appeals to substitute low-priced alternatives within the same category of active ingredients. In addition, as demanded, they prescribe fewer and fewer drugs with controversial effectiveness. Greater sales based on the use of higher-priced pharmaceuticals are predominantly the consequence of physicians' recommendations.

Andreas Krebs, member of the board of directors of the German Association of Research-based Pharmaceutical Companies (VFA) and managing director of Wyeth Pharma GmbH, explained: "For years, both politicians and the public were advised incorrectly. Due to a methodological error, the so-called me-too products were falsely accused of driving expenses in statutory health insurance. Now it becomes apparent that spending increases are primarily caused by better patient care. At this point, we must talk about how we provide care for our patients, because patients in Germany are already suffering from the savings efforts of health policy."

The Pharmaceutical Atlas, which was developed by the Institute for Health and Social Research (IGES) and commissioned by the VFA, is now available in its final, authorized manuscript form and will be published by Urban & Vogel. Based on 22 groups of therapeutic indications for the year 2005, it analyzes the changes in sales for pharmaceuticals that were prescribed to insured patients of statutory health insurance.

The author, Professor Bertram Häussler, explained: "The Pharmaceutical Atlas is based on the fact that, in contrast to the PPR, structural changes are viewed in terms of therapeutic indication. In addition - also in contrast to the PPR - the contribution of medical, epidemiological and economic factors to the annual changes in spending is established. The result shows that the development of expenses is primarily determined by epidemiological factors, by compensating for pharmaceutical care deficits and by catch-up effects in medical care."

According to Häussler, these results exonerate politicians from accusations of having missed savings targets year after year. The Pharmaceutical Atlas facilitates objective decision-making in the field of pharmaceutical care.

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