Pressure to reach consumption of generic to 60%

In an interview with U.S. network Bloomberg, Mr. Georgiadis analyzed the real objectives of his policy which pursued in reducing pharmaceutical expenditure and generic and to release the operation of pharmacies, always loyal to the suggestions of lenders.

Greece needs to triple the share of generic prescription until the end of next year to meet the target set by international lenders , says Mr Georgiadis . The share of generics in the total volume of prescription drugs sold in Greece will reach "at least" 30 % by the end of 2014 , compared to 19.8 % recorded at the end of 2013 , estimates . He stresses that anything less than 30% at the end of 2014 will be considered a "failure" and that memorandum's target of 60% will be achieved by the end of 2015.

"The government", he adds, "will continuously reduce the average price of health treatments every six months. The reduction is going to be stepwise so that the Greek pharmaceutical companies to adapt in the international competition".

Mr. Georgiadis forgetting arguments concerning the "Samaras's prices" for cheap drugs for Greek people , admits that the price cuts are made to serve the already decreased public pharmaceutical expenditure, and to adapt Greece in the production cost of foreign multinational generics , producing degrading labor costs, in third countries .

It is ironic that just two days ago the Deputy of the National Pharmaceutical Union Mr. T. Tryfon warned the Ministry of Health that if the price reduction policy and the prescribing of the active substance continue in 2 years there will be no Greek drug.

Mr. Georgiadis also told Bloomberg that the price reductions will not affect the quality. That means that he want wages reduction for the thousands of the Greek workers in the Greek pharmaceutical industry, in order to reach the amount of wages in India and Bangladesh, since the "equation" will not be solved otherwise. He rejected the concerns about generics imported from developing countries, saying that he has not heard of European patients suffering massively from low -quality medicines. It seems that his memory works selectively when conversing with the Germans the Task Force, as well as numerous publications in the German press reports numerous complaints from German patients for side effects or ineffectiveness of cheap generic drugs.

The Minister's aim is the generic market in Greece to reach 750 million a year, meaning 60% of consumption. Of course, he does not say the share of this amount that corresponds to Greek drug in comparison to the share for imported generic drug, verifying in the worst way the prediction of Mr. Tryphon.

As for the issue of Non- Mandatory Prescription Drugs and the opening of pharmacies market, Mr Georgiadis is revealing. While appearing to hold a firm stance against the Troika on the subject, it seems that fundamentally does not disagree with the claims of creditors. "The issue is to land the plane, not to crush it", he says. "Greece has approximately 11,500 pharmacies, and needs could be covered with 6,000" he points and continues "at this time we have more specialists and fewer GPs and nurses, compared with other Member States of the EU. An army with many generals and a few soldiers. We know that this scheme is not viable, but we will not take steps that will lead half of the country's pharmacies into bankruptcy. We must remember that unemployment in Greece is 28%. "

«In 2009 the size of pharmaceutical expenditure in Greece was 5.6 billion and pharmacies were operated with a profit margin of 30%. Now the market has shrunk to 2 billion with a profit margin of 20%. We are not offering a special protection; we are just giving time to the pharmaceutical industry to adapt to the new reality. "

So, Mr. Georgiadis does not disagree on the merits with the troika, just for the time limit that these measures could be implemented. For Mr. Georgiadis everything is matter of adaptation, as he says, expressing in other words the example of the salami that recently explained in troikan Thomsen.