Belgium spent nearly €4.9 billion on medication in 2022, according to a report from the National Institute for Health and Disability Insurance (INAMI), released on Monday.
In 2022, the latest year for which consolidated figures are available, INAMI’s total expenditure on medication was €6.5 billion, a 9% increase compared to 2021. However, this figure does not factor in revenue received by the health insurance, including repayments from pharmaceutical companies, tied to certain contracts, and contributions made by the industry to INAMI. After considering these deductions, the increase amounts to 4.8%.
From this budget, €2.6 billion was allocated to drugs under Article 81/111 agreements. These obscurely-named deals are confidential contracts between the federal government and pharmaceutical firms. They allow for the reimbursement of innovative drugs whose therapeutic effectiveness remains unproven but which are still accessible to patients.
This information comes from the 2024 Morse report (Monitoring of Reimbursement Significant Expenses), an analysis of expenditure on medical and pharmaceutical services in 2022. The document also includes predictions for 2023, but data from the past year have not been finalised.
Additionally, INAMI noted that some revenue tallies concerning medication under agreement in 2022, still needed to be conducted, which will also have an impact on the data.
The purpose of the Morse report is to present to the authorities the latest data on the cost evolution of medication and other pharmaceutical services. It serves as a foundation for budget preparations for 2025 and for the next term, in anticipation of budget discussions in October 2024, INAMI Deputy General Manager Pedro Facon explained
