About us

The MEDICINE EVALUATION COMMITTEE (MEDEV) was established in 1998 by representatives of the social health insurance organisations in Austria, Finland, Germany, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, and Switzerland to facilitate informed discussions and exchanges on pharmaceutical policy developments in the EU.

The European Social Insurance Platform (ESIP) in Brussels was commissioned with the role of coordinating the activities of the Committee.

MEDEV is a network of 22 national authorities from 18 Member States and Norway bringing together all the relevant institutions (national HTA agencies and social health insurers-payers) responsible for the assessment, pricing and reimbursement of medicines in Europe. MEDEV forum includes all those involved in the decision-making processes turning access to medicines into a reality for patients across Europe. 

The overarching mission of MEDEV is to further the sustainable provision of medicines to patients who are publicly insured.

 

Cooperation & Exchange

MEDEV provides an informal platform for exchanges between national bodies responsible for the assessment, pricing and reimbursement of medicines to support them in their role at national level. This includes:

  • Rapid assessments of (new) medicinal products of common interest
  • Exchanges on ongoing and planned assessments for reimbursement, methodologies and pharmaceutical policy
  • Review of EU-level activities impacting on national assessment, pricing and reimbursement
  • Timely analyses of drug related trends and innovations, and political and legal initiatives of the European Institutions
 

Expertise

MEDEV provides an informal platform for consultation at EU level, offering specific expertise in the following areas:

 

Collaboration

MEDEV collaborates closely with the following organisations and networks:

Report: 'Rising Pharmaceutical Expenditure-A Call for Sustainable Solutions'

2024-10-17 13:47:00

As political discussions center on the reindustrialisation of Europe and enhancing its competitiveness, public health insurers are grappling with a significant challenge to financial sustainability. The entry of novel medicines, often accompanied by high prices and limited evidence of therapeutic benefit, raises critical questions regarding reimbursement amid constrained budgets and competing priorities.

Our ESIP-MEDEV report published today examines recent trends in pharmaceutical expenditure across the EU and EEA, drawing on national data from 16 ESIP and MEDEV members. It not only identifies a common trend of rapidly increasing pharmaceutical costs but also delves into the underlying drivers of this growth.

Key Findings:

·         Pharmaceutical expenditure is consistently rising for both hospital and community pharmacy medicines.

·         Price increases, rather than volume, are the primary drivers of pharmaceutical expenditure.

·         Expenditure is concentrated in specific therapeutic groups across the region.

·         The growth trend is particularly pronounced in the realm of rare diseases.

Yannis Natsis, ESIP Director & MEDEV coordinator, remarks, “The ESIP-MEDEV data serves as a vital reminder of why high medicine prices pose a systemic problem in Europe. Our members, as public authorities, strive to ensure optimal health outcomes within the constraints of national budgets. Therefore, innovation must be evidence-based and affordable; otherwise, the financial sustainability of our health and welfare systems is at risk.”

For more insights, please refer to our comprehensive ESIP-MEDEV report on trends in pharmaceutical expenditure.

Have a glance at the findings of the ESIP-MEDEV report on trends in pharmaceutical expenditure in this presentation.