The US administration has launched a five-year pilot project aimed at lowering prices for the public Medicaid programme. In future, prices charged in the United States are to be calculated on the basis of average prices in eight comparator countries, including Switzerland.

Pharmaceutical companies must disclose their net international prices, including all discounts and rebates. The US authorities use this data to lower US prices to the level of the countries with the lowest prices, Interpharma said in a press release on Tuesday.

+ The high stakes fight over drug prices

For the association of pharmaceutical companies, this means considerable pressure on pricing. If Switzerland serves as a benchmark for the United States, medicines in Switzerland will only be available at prices comparable to those in the United States.

This is because manufacturers will not be able to offer medicines at comparatively low reference prices in very small countries, thereby driving down prices in the world's largest market. In addition, international reference pricing threatens the availability of innovative treatments in Switzerland.

Switzerland thus finds itself at the heart of a global discussion on prices. For Interpharma, politicians must now take action and modernise the pricing system as a whole.

On the one hand, it is calling for the inclusion of a price comparison with other countries based on purchasing power parity. Secondly, it wants to introduce a provisional price set by the manufacturer from the day marketing authorisation is granted.

This content was published on Apr 23, 2024 Switzerland's pharmaceutical sector supplies drugs worldwide, but not all countries receive them with the same price tag. Here's why.