How to maintain the quality of treatment and the availability of quality medicines at a high level in times of crisis is a key issue for every healthcare system.
Europe is shaken by rising inflation and is threatened by an energy crisis of unprecedented proportions. The still current Covid 19 pandemic has imposed, in the past period, extraordinary and large financial investments within the healthcare system of Serbia. Crisis situations continue to emerge, posing serious challenges and concerns about how to preserve sustainability of the healthcare system? Availability of quality medicines is imperative for patients and doctors.
‘Local pharmaceutical industry is a reliable partner of the healthcare system and its main task is to provide effective and safe pharmaceutical products of the latest generation at more affordable prices. Owing to the local pharmaceutical manufacturers, citizens of Serbia are treated with the same high-quality generic medicines that are used to treat patients in highly developed European countries’, says Dr. Danijela Stanišić Srdić, specialist in clinical pharmacology and head of the Rx portfolio for the Western Balkans at Hemofarm.
The use of generic medicines is increasing worldwide. In Serbia, generics account for close to 80 percent in the number of packs on the market and about 45 percent in financial value. It is a percentage that corresponds to most EU countries.
‘Life expectancy has increased, and with the aging of the population, the costs of treating chronic diseases are increasing rapidly. Generic medicines, being good quality but cheaper therapeutic alternatives, enable the availability of medicines for all patients who need them and thus contribute to the quality of treatment. That's why the use of generic medicines is growing worldwide and, for example, 80 percent of prescription medicines in the USA are generics. Due to their more affordable price, they also support the sustainability of the healthcare system’, she explains.
Equally efficient
And why is the price of generic medicines lower? Does that mean that generic medicines are of inferior quality?
‘Certainly not. A generic medicine is a high-quality pharmaceutical product. It is developed according to the model of the corresponding original medicine, and in terms of its composition, effectiveness, as well as possible side effects, it is completely equal to the original medicine. It is used for the same indications, has the same concentration of the active pharmaceutical ingredient and the same therapeutic effect in the body’, says our interlocutor.
And why are they cheaper? Dr. Stanišić Srdić explains further:
‘The price of generic medicines is more affordable because in the production of generics it is not necessary to repeat the extensive and very expensive clinical trials that are conducted during the development period of the innovative medicinal product and which sometimes account for the cost of more than a billion dollars for the innovative company. But generic medicines are also subjected to very strict procedures in their development. It is important to know that the latest technical-technological and medical knowledge is used for the development of a generic medicine. Likewise, a generic medicine can only be registered when it meets all the requirements of the regulatory authorities, which are very strict and demanding.’
Quality of treatment as a priority
All representatives of the local pharma industry product quality generic medicines.
‘Patients in Serbia are treated with good-quality medicines and they have nothing to worry about. Local industry guarantees regular market supply. In particular, Hemofarm, as the local industry leader, has the highest global quality standards in production for all its production plants, and Hemofarm's medicines can be found on 4 continents in 34 countries worldwide, precisely because of their high quality’, Dr. Danijela Stanišič Srdić points out.
Continuous investments in the Serbian healthcare system are being made with the aim of ensuring a constant improvement in the quality of healthcare for patients.
