The Health Committee supported a bill to limit the prices of around 900 medicines that citizens pay out of pocket

The Parliamentary Committee on Health, Labor and Social Welfare today supported the Bill on Amendments to the Law on Medicines, which should enable price caps for around 900 medicines that citizens pay out of pocket.

MPs from the Europe Now Movement (PES) Dane Marković and Dragana Vukčević previously submitted to the Parliament a Bill amending the Medicines Act, in order to legally limit the price of medicines that are issued on prescription and are not on the basic and supplementary lists.

On January 21, the Legislative Committee of the Parliament proposed to adopt the Bill, assessing that it is in accordance with the Constitution and the legal system.

At today's meeting of the Health Committee, Marković explained that this kind of legal solution works in the region and in many European Union countries.

"I believe that it will not lead to market disruption and that it will not jeopardize the work of state and private pharmacies," said Marković. He explained that pharmacies dispense three groups of medications - one without a prescription, and the other two with a doctor's prescription.

"The first group of medicines from the positive list, whose issuance is financed by the Health Insurance Fund, has limited, capped prices, and with this legislative proposal we are also seeking a limit for the second group of medicines that are issued on prescription and financed by citizens," he said.

Vukčević said that the group of prescription drugs, the costs of which are fully borne by citizens, includes around 900 drugs and that this legal solution would, among others, reduce the prices of analgesics, antibiotics, antivirals and drugs for suppressing allergic reactions.