Georgian Health Minister announces plans to expand list of medicines subject to reference pricing

Georgian Health Minister Mikheil Sarjveladze on Monday said the Government plans to expand the range of medicines subject to reference pricing, as part of efforts to better protect consumer interests.

The Minister stated the state will play an “active” role in ensuring that pricing mechanisms operate “as effectively as possible” for the public. He added that the list of medicines covered by regulated prices is expected to grow.

Sarjveladze explained that the reference pricing system is continuously reviewed and that, at present, prices are considered “fair”.

“If a need arises to revise the price of a specific medicine, this is reviewed periodically and decisions are made without delay. Our main priority is the consumer and we believe that the prices already set are fair,” he said.

He added that a key objective is to ensure that medicines in Georgia are available at the same price levels as in a group of four benchmark countries used for comparison.