The pharmaceutical care and drug supply industry will inform about the chaos created by the drug market reform /

In order to explain the complications identified in the implementation of the reform and present the current situation in pharmacies and the continuity of drug supply, the media are invited to attend the press conference, which will be held on January 3 this year at 10.00 Brīvības street 68.

It will be attended by:

• Jānis Lībķens, member of the board of the Latvian National Association of Pharmaceutical Supply Companies,
• Agnese Ritene, chairman of the board of the Pharmacy Association,
• Chairman of the board of SIA “Latvijas aptieka” Alvis Ērglis.

At the press conference, representatives of the industry will inform about the impact of the reform on the work of pharmacies in the first days of January, price changes for more frequently purchased prescription drugs, as well as the expected long-term impact on the drug supply and pharmaceutical care industry.

The consequences of the reform in the first days of January:

• Many of the more commonly prescribed and needed economy segment prescription drugs have become more expensive.
• Smaller packages, which were often a more cost-effective alternative for patients, have been removed from the list of reimbursable drugs.
• The accounting and settlement system for compensable medicines new requirements for pharmacies that were received only on December 20 with the setting that they should be signed by December 28, although they are inconsistent with the law.
• The prices set by the manufacturers have increased significantly (on average they make up to 75% of the drug price in pharmacies), their price ceilings have not been set.
• The issue of input VAT for pharmaceutical services, which causes additional losses in the operation of pharmacies, is still not resolved.
• In many cases, the state-determined supply and delivery cost ceilings do not even cover the real costs of the supply and delivery of medicines to pharmacies in Latvia in the current volume and regularity.
• The measures included in the 2025 budget worsen the overall situation even more – transportation and labor costs are increasing, creating new challenges for the industry, as there is no indexation of fixed mark-ups to cover the growing costs.

We invite media representatives to register for participation in the press conference by calling tel. [phone] or by writing to [email protected].