Beneluxa - Belgium and The Netherlands Take First Joint Decision on Reimbursement
- 12/07/2018
- Articles
The Belgian and Dutch Ministers responsible for public health announced today that they have taken their first joint reimbursement decision following negotiations which the Belgian and Dutch reimbursement authorities conducted jointly with Biogen. The decision will offer patients access to Spinraza® (nusinersen), an orphan medicine which is indicated for the treatment of 5q spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a genetic disease that causes weakness and wasting of the muscles, including the lung muscles. The disease is linked to a defect on chromosome 5q and symptoms usually start shortly after birth.
The new reimbursement conditions will apply from 1 August 2018 in The Netherlands and from 1 September 2018 in Belgium. It is unclear from the information that was made publicly available whether the access conditions in both countries are actually identical or highly similar. More details may emerge over time, but key aspects of the managed access agreements that apply in Belgium and The Netherlands will remain confidential.
The Beneluxa cooperation between Belgium, The Netherlands, Luxemburg, Austria and Ireland has received a great deal of attention and is regarded as the way forward for joint efforts of member states to address common issues of access to innovative medication. While the authorities have repeatedly highlighted their close cooperation on matters involving horizon scanning and health technology assessment, the credibility of the Beneluxa initiative will receive a significant boost from these first successfully concluded joint pricing negotiations. Further joint reimbursement decisions are apparently in the pipeline.
The importance of this development is reflected in the flurry of press releases which the various authorities issued today. They can be found through these links:
Beneluxa: Press Release
Belgian Minister for Social Affairs and Public Health (Dutch): Press Release
Dutch Minister for Medical Care: Press Release
