Recently published research from Business Monitor International, "Netherlands Pharmaceuticals & Healthcare Report Q1 2013", is now available at Fast Market Research

Boston, MA -- (SBWire) -- 02/15/2013 --BMI View: While the Netherlands is a low-risk market from the point of view of multinational drugmakers, the country's modest per capita expenditure on pharmaceuticals relative to other Western European countries is an issue. Another challenge facing drugmakers is cost-containment, which will only intensify as the Netherlands enters a period of slower economic growth. In fact, as we warned, the Dutch authorities recently introduced a new scheme - reimbursement for medicines that prove therapeutically ineffective will be reclaimed from the manufacturer - to reduce public healthcare costs.

BMI notes that the 'no cure, no pay' scheme implemented by the Dutch government is not a new concept, with the US government and a number of Western European governments already having made risksharing or money-back guarantee agreements with drug companies. However, these agreements focused on particular medicines, unlike the much harsher 'blanket' stance of the Dutch health ministry.

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Headline Expenditure Projections

- Pharmaceuticals: EUR6.70bn (US$9.31bn) in 2011 to EUR6.51bn (US$8.27bn) in 2012; -2.8% in local currency terms and -11.2% in US dollar terms. Forecast unchanged from Q412.
- Healthcare: EUR62.94bn (US$87.49bn) in 2011 to EUR64.43bn (US$81.83bn) in 2012; +2.4% in local currency terms and -6.5% in US dollar terms. Forecast unchanged from Q412.
- Medical devices: EUR11.41bn (US$15.86bn) in 2011 to EUR11.72bn (US$14.89bn) in 2012; +2.8% in local currency terms and -6.1% in US dollar terms. Forecast unchanged from Q412.

Risk/Reward Ratings: In our Q113 Pharmaceutical Risk/Reward Ratings (RRRs) matrix for Western Europe, which ranks 10 key markets, the Netherlands remains seventh, a position unchanged from the previous quarter. The country's composite score is also unchanged, comprising the below-regional average rewards score and a risk component that again mirrors the regional average for the quarter.

Key Trends And Developments

- In September 2012, it was reported that the Dutch health ministry is introducing a new drug scheme to discourage the use and sale of ineffective costly medicines in the Netherlands, according to minister Edith Schippers. The new 'no cure, no pay' policy will allow health insurers to pay only for those medicines that have a measurable effect on the patient. The scheme, which was recommended by the local health insurance council College van Zorgerzekringen (CVZ), will start with Novartis' asthma drug Xolair (omalizumab) - which costs approximately US$20,000 per patient per year and is found to have no effect on 30% patients. The CVZ has already reached an agreement with the manufacturer as well as with doctors and patients over the new drug scheme, which is expected to save approximately US$2.5mn every year. Novartis will not be paid for Xolair by medical insurance companies if the drug fails to generate measurable health outcomes in patients.

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