The Dutch government must be willing to pay more for the development of innovative medicines, ABN Amro argues in an analysis. According to the bank, the Dutch government’s strict reimbursement policy for new drugs means that patients in our country have to wait increasingly long for new medicines and that the Netherlands is losing ground in their development.

According to the analysis, the Dutch government’s spending on medicines could double over the next two years due to the arrival of new, expensive drugs. The government is limiting this cost increase through strict approval criteria and sharp price negotiations. But that means that drugs only become available in the Netherlands much later than in other countries.

The government’s current relatively low spending on medicines is “unsustainable,” the ABN Amro concluded. The policy has already led to medicine shortages in pharmacies in recent years, according to the bank. And that at a time when more and more Dutch people are falling ill. The bank also points out that new treatments are primarily being developed for cancer, and less for other common diseases, leaving a gap in the market.

ABN Amro wants the government to make more room for innovative medicines in its policy. Implement higher reimbursements and offer faster access to innovative drugs in areas where new treatments are lagging behind, such as dementia, COPD, and mood disorders. According to the bank, this could improve patient care and stimulate innovative medicines in the Netherlands.

“As long as reimbursements for new drugs remain inadequate, biopharmaceutical companies primarily invest in proven domains with an attractive market. As a result, innovation is lacking,” ABN Amro said.

In May, the European pharmaceutical trade association EFPIA already reported that Dutch patients had to wait longer for new medicines last year. According to the bank, the development of new drugs is shifting to countries where a drug can count on reimbursement quickly. The Netherlands is falling further and further behind China and the United States in terms of innovation. The number of clinical trials in the Netherlands has barely increased in recent years, while they are increasing significantly in China, the U.S., and other European Countries.