Greece establishes innovation fund for access to new medicines

Greece is preparing to establish an “Innovation Fund” to facilitate patient access to modern therapies approved by the European Medicines Agency but not yet available in the country. This is outlined in a bill introduced by the Greek Ministry of Health, as reported by eKathimerini.

The fund will be administered by the national health insurer EOPYY and will be funded directly by the Ministry of Health.

A specialized committee will evaluate applications from pharmaceutical companies, negotiate discounts based on the estimated value of the therapies, and propose which medicines should be included in the fund. The preparation of periodic reports on the effectiveness of the included medications is also planned. A national patient registry will provide support for the initiative.

The bill also stipulates that EOPYY will implement artificial intelligence systems to detect fraud, verify reimbursement claims, and process patient reports.

As part of the digitalization of healthcare, the development of a mobile application for patients with oncological and hematological diseases is also planned. Through it, they will be able to track their symptoms and communicate with their treating physicians.

Minister of Health Adonis Georgiadis described the initiative as a “decisive step toward a more modern, fairer, and more efficient healthcare system.”