Pharmaceutical Pricing, Reimbursement, and Prescribing News in the Fourth Quarter of 2006

Table of Contents

• Executive Summary
  • Strategic Considerations
  • Stakeholder Implications
• Introduction
• United States
  • Impact of Congressional Elections
  • Changes to Medicare Part D
  • Medicaid Reform
  • Average Wholesale Price Measure Under Threat
• European Union
  • European Cooperation on Health Technology Assessment
• France
  • New Wave of Reimbursement Cuts
  • Impact of Government' s Medical Control Strategy
• Germany
  • Slowdown in Pharmaceutical Spending
  • Proposed New Health Care Reforms
  • Daily Cost-of-Therapy Limits
  • Many Products Exempted from Copayments
  • Reference Price Adjustments for 2007
• Italy
  • Price Cuts Slow Sales Growth
• Spain
  • Industry Requests Price Increase
  • New Reference Pricing System Authorized
• United Kingdom
  • Clarifi cation of NICE' s Role in the National Health Service
  • Courts Rule on Access to Drugs Rejected by NICE
• Japan
  • Reform of the Pricing and Reimbursement System Deferred
  • Higher Price Premiums for Innovation
• Outlook and Implications for the Pharmaceutical Industry

Tables:

• 1: Key Features of Standard Medicare Part D Drug Benefit, 2006 and 2007
• 2: German Daily Cost-of-Therapy Limits, 2007

Figures:

• 1: Percentage of Stand-Alone Prescription Drug Plans Charging Various Monthly Premiums,2006 and 2007
• 2: Percentage of Medicare Advantage Plans Charging Various Monthly Drug Premiums,2006 and 2007
• 3: Percentage of Stand-Alone Prescription Drug Plans Levying Various Drug Deductibles,2006 and 2007
• 4: Percentage of Medicare Advantage Plans Levying Various Drug Deductibles, 2006 and 2007
• 5: Percentage of Stand-Alone Prescription Drug Plans Offering Various Levels of Drug Coverage in the Coverage Gap, 2006 and 2007
• 6: Percentage of Medicare Advantage Plans Offering Various Levels of Drug Coverage in the Coverage Gap, 2006 and 2007
• 7: Monthly Pharmaceutical Expenditures of Germany' s Statutory Health Insurance System, January 2003-October 2006
• 8: Infl uences on Pharmaceutical Expenditures in Germany' s Statutory Health Insurance System, April-October 2006