The NHIF paid nearly BGN 100 million for expensive medicines for children in 2024.

In 2024, the NHIF paid BGN 93,629,311.04 for medicinal products administered off-label to individuals under the age of 18. This was revealed in a report provided by the Minister of Health, Assoc. Prof. Silvi Kirilov, in response to a question from the MP from PP-DB, Assoc. Prof. Vasil Pandov.

There are seven medical institutions in the country that use such medicinal products. The largest amount was paid to the “Prof. Ivan Mitev” Children’s Hospital in Sofia—BGN 62,996,119.49—used for 32 medicinal products, the report added.

Of these, BGN 9,980,000.00 was for two packs of gene therapy for patients with spinal muscular atrophy. BGN 1,425,696.40 was spent on 243 doses of an antitumor and immunomodulating medicinal product for the treatment of children with paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria and atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome. Six packs of a medication for primary hyperoxaluria cost BGN 816,753.64. Among the other expensive medicines used in therapies for children with rare diseases at the “Prof. Ivan Mitev” Specialized Hospital for Active Treatment of Children’s Diseases are 252 packs of a medication for tripeptidyl peptidase 1 deficiency totaling BGN 19,053,748.20, 645 packs of a drug indicated for the treatment of X-linked hypophosphatemia in children and adolescents aged 1 to 17 years with radiographic evidence of bone disease totaling BGN 14,582,275.20, and BGN 7,614,789.50 for 66 packs of a medication for the treatment of progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis.

At the “Saint George” University General Hospital in Plovdiv, BGN 20,389,959.41 was spent on 57 medicinal products.

The other medical institutions using expensive medicines for the treatment of children are the “Tsaritsa Yoanna”-ISUL University General Hospital (BGN 7,593,835.81), Alexandrovska University General Hospital EAD (BGN 1,652,255.75), “Saint Marina” University General Hospital-Varna (BGN 734,545.53), “Dr. Georgi Stranski” University General Hospital-Pleven (BGN 224,290.80), and the National Cardiology Hospital (BGN 38,304.25).

The full text of the Minister’s response can be viewed here.