In this first article of a three-part PharmaPhorum series exploring pricing in Europe, we discuss the role disease rarity plays in reimbursement decisions among payers in Germany.
Historically, payers have accepted factors including small target patient populations and high clinical development costs as justifications for the high prices of rare disease drugs.
But as more companies develop and launch drugs to treat rare and ultra-rare diseases in Europe, the ability and willingness of payers to accept high prices may be reaching its limits. Payers must assess the budget challenges that new therapies might present against the goal of supporting access to innovative treatment options for as many patients as possible.
