From 1 January, Belgian health insurance will begin reimbursing new medicines that have shown promising results in clinical patient studies, even before receiving official marketing authorisation from the European medicines regulator.
The measure was confirmed to De Tijd by Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke (Vooruit). "Anyone who is ill must receive the best care as quickly as possible," the minister said.
Patients with conditions for which no therapy currently exists often face long waits for access to experimental medicines due to lengthy price negotiations between pharmaceutical firms and the government. According to Vandenbroucke's office, the current system is reaching its limits as science evolves quickly and more innovative treatments emerge.
Under the new procedure, novel therapies will be reimbursed on a temporary basis, avoiding delays caused by protracted negotiations. An initial €25 million has been earmarked to finance the scheme.
