Archives of Hellenic Medicine

Last update:

19-Mar-2025

Arch Hellen Med, 42(3), May-June 2025, 341-346

REVIEW

Measures to contain increasing pharmaceutical expenditure in health systems

G. Papadopoulou,¹ J. Fanourgiakis,^1,2 N. Kontodimopoulos^1,3
¹Faculty of Social Sciences, Hellenic Open University, Patras,
²Department of Management Science and Technology, Hellenic Mediterranean University, Agios Nikolaos, Crete,
³Department of Health Economics, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece

Total pharmaceutical expenditure is the sum of public pharmaceutical expenditure and private pharmaceutical expenditure and constitutes a large proportion of total health expenditure in health systems of all western countries. The continuous increase of pharmaceutical expenditure, in conjunction with its significant contribution to overall health expenditure, has made it an object of constant study. Increases in consumption and reimbursement prices are the significant contributing factors to the escalating pharmaceutical expenditure observed in all health systems. Health systems have adopted measures aiming to contain overall pharmaceutical expenditure. The measures focus on both the supply and demand sides. Strategies which address the pricing method, price negotiation, co-payments, dissemination of generic and biosimilar drugs and electronic prescribing are crucial in the effort to contain the everincreasing pharmaceutical expenditure.

Key words: Medicine, Pharmaceutical policy, Private pharmaceutical expenditure, Public pharmaceutical expenditure, Total pharmaceutical expenditure.