Vista Analyse's proposal will be followed up in the government's national budget for 2024
Oslo, 13.10.2023
On behalf of the Ministry of Health and Care Services and the Ministry of Finance, Vista Analyse conducted a spending review of the “blue prescription” scheme in 2020 and 2021, in collaboration with EY. We made a number of proposals, several of which have since been followed up by the Government. In the presented national budget for 2024, reference is again made to the area review when the government proposes changes in the field of pharmaceuticals (Prop.1 S – Ministry of Health and Care Services):
The Step Pricing Scheme. "The measures to adjust certain step prices follow up on the recommendation in the area review for medicinal products to discretionarily adjust step prices for all drugs after ten years in the scheme."
Competitive mechanisms. "The area review pointed out that increased use of competition mechanisms in the years ahead may help limit National Insurance and patients' drug costs." Following the tender pilot launched following the site review, the government is now proposing that tenders for the “blue prescription” area be established as a permanent scheme from 2024. The Ministry of Health and Care Services considers that about 5 per cent of the active ingredients in the “blue prescription” scheme may be relevant for such tenders.