Health Minister proposes ban on re-export of particular drugs

Price regulation of medical devices, drafted by the Czech Health Ministry, should bring the health sector savings of up to six billion crowns, Health Minister Svatopluk Němeček said on Tuesday. The ministry is also planning to adopt measures against re-exporting cheaper medicines abroad. Mr Němeček said the ministry was forced to impose a temporary ban on the export of certain drugs in recent months due to their sudden absence on the market. The Health Ministry along with the State Institute for Drug Control is currently drafting a list of drugs that could not be reexported in the future. The prices of drugs in the Czech Republic are lower than in many other European countries. As a result, some drugs imported to the country are sometimes re-exported for higher prices.

Author: Ruth Fraňková