According to the Horizon Scan, seventeen new medicines against muscle diseases will come onto the market in 2023 and 2024. “A remarkably high number, because in previous Horizon Scans there were an average of five,” according to the Healthcare Institute. The new medicines are, among other things, for the treatment of people with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, ALS and myasthenia gravis.
EU policy
According to Marcel Timmen, director of Muscle Diseases Netherlands, the orphan drug policy of the European Union (EU) is a possible cause of this increase. “Since 1999, the EU has had an orphan drug policy that should make it more attractive for pharmaceutical companies to develop medicines for small groups of patients. You can now see that reflected in the number of medicines for muscle diseases.” Furthermore, many muscle diseases are medically necessary, so there is a good chance that doctors will prescribe a medicine. “That is also interesting for manufacturers.” Many of the drugs visible on the Horizon scan are intended to stabilize the muscle disease, not to cure patients completely.
Estimates Care Institute
In the Horizon Scan, the Zorginstituut looks ahead at medicines that are expected on the market and their possible impact. The Zorginstituut estimates the number of expected users in the new scan more accurately than before. With good estimates of patient numbers, the Healthcare Institute can better determine whether new medicines can be reimbursed directly from the basic health insurance package or whether they have to be put in the lock.