Tag Archives: aifa

New Reimbursement Criteria for Medicinal Products

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New criteria for reimbursement of medicinal products by the national healthcare system will apply as a result of publication of Ministerial Decree of August 2, 2019 occurred on July 24, 2020.

The new criteria focus on the clinical value of the medicinal product and on its added therapeutic value compared to other available medicinal products, while, before such Ministerial Decree, the emphasis was on the advantageous cost-effectiveness of the drug. Unless a clinical superiority of the drug compared to similar drugs can be established, the outcome of the reimbursement negotiations will be negative. AIFA has summarized here the changes introduced.

Negotiations can be either started by the pharmaceutical company or by AIFA. Guidelines on the documentation, to be submitted by the pharmaceutical company, are currently subject to public consultation until September 30, 2020.

Under the new Ministerial Decree the pharma company must disclose information regarding reimbursement conditions already negotiated in other countries, estimates of expenditure on the basis of estimated market quotas, patent status, and economic/financial impacts on public expenditure. Sales data and marketing data must also be provided to AIFA throughout the validity of the reimbursement arrangement. Confidentiality obligations covering the reimbursement agreement, however, are not expressly prohibited.

Innovative reimbursement models, as well as traditional schemes, are possible.

Clinical Trial Regulation: Another Piece of the Puzzle

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Another piece of the puzzle that will become the Italian clinical trials regulatory framework has been completed last week through the publication of Legislative Decree no. 52 of 2019. We had already talked about changes to clinical trials legislation in this previous post and some of the current changes had already been foreseen in such bill.

Here are the major changes:

  • The Italian pharmaceutical agency (AIFA) will be called to issue requirements for trial centers and specific weight will be given to the involvement of patients’ associations by the center in the protocol definition;
  • Patients associations will be involved also in the process of evaluation and authorization of clinical trials;
  • AIFA will publish data on authorized trial centers, along with curricula vitae of individuals involved in the conduct of the study;
  • AIFA will also need to set forth rules to guarantee the independence of the clinical trials and the absence of conflicts of interest in furtherance of section 9 of EU Regulation 536/2014;
  • In case of breach of terms and procedures relating to clinical trials, or of rules on independence and transparency, an ethical committee may be suspended;
  • New rules aimed at facilitating non-profit trials and observational studies (also post-market) will be introduced, which will allow the assignment of study data and their use for registration purposes.
  • Research methodologies and clinical trials conduct will be the subject matter of specific training courses offered, also as continuing medical education.

In conclusion, we need to wait for further rules before the puzzle is complete.

The Italian Administrative Supreme Court Opens New Perspectives for Therapeutic Equivalents

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By rejecting an appeal from Novartis, the Italian Administrative Supreme Court, with its decision n. 1306 of April 1st, 2016, focused on the notion of therapeutic equivalence under Italian law. Having underlined the difference with the concept of bioequivalence and having broadened its possible future application, the decision is likely to push forward the trend of public health care institutions to increase competition between pharmaceutical companies in the context of public tender offers, possibly for the benefit of taxpayers and patients.

The controversy arose from an opinion issued by the Italian Medicines Agency (“AIFA”) which, in a tender procedure held by Tuscany region, evaluated the drug Lucentis by Novartis (active ingredient ranibizumab) as a therapeutic equivalent to Eylea by Bayer (active ingredient aflibercept). This allowed the regional public administration to have the said drugs compete against each other in the same tender offer.

Debates as to whether Lucentis and Eylea are equivalent in terms of functions are not indeed new in the pharmaceutical scene and have caused many headaches to Novartis, let alone the critical issues raised in relation to Lucentis by the Italian Antitrust Authority.  Not a surprise, then, that Novartis tried to defend its product, alleging the illegitimacy and erroneousness of AIFA’s evaluation, which stated that the cheaper option by Bayer (Euro 780) is equally safe and effective in the treatment of macular degeneration as it is its more expansive (Euro 902) drug.

Novartis, nevertheless, failed in its claims. The Italian Administrative Supreme Court confirmed the validity and correctness of AIFA’s evaluation, together with the decision of the lower court, affirming, inter alia, that:

  • therapeutic equivalence is different from bioequivalence because the latter implies the identity of the active ingredient whether the former does not (indeed, FDA’s indications on the issue are rather similar);
  • the authority of AIFA in determining therapeutic equivalence is legitimate under Italian law;
  • evaluations regarding therapeutic equivalence cannot be based exclusively on the products’ leaflet: they are instead well motivated if they verify that (i) the drugs belong to the same Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical class; (ii) the drugs are subject to a similar route of administration and (iii) the drugs release the active ingredient in comparable ways.

Therapeutic equivalence, as it has recently emerged from Italian legislation and case law (in particular, from the decision discussed herein), is seen as a threat by pharmaceutical companies, unnerved by the increased competition effects.

Indeed, the debate has been escalated to a more general level by the Italian association of pharmaceutical companies, which challenged in many ways AIFA’s guidelines on therapeutic equivalence. As a consequence, a few days ago AIFA precautionary suspended for ninety days the said guidelines.

It looks like the match has just begun. Nevertheless, pharmaceutical companies should consider carefully on which side they should play. In fact, the expansion of the application of therapeutic equivalence, as a general trend, does not seem to be stoppable in a constant spending review context. Perhaps pharmaceutical companies should positively contribute to shape, rather than to stop, therapeutic equivalence and exploit its potential for the business in terms of new opportunities to access tender offer procedures.

Another September, Another Spending Review.

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This is almost becoming a tradition for the national healthcare service in Italy. Comes September… and a new spending review hits the pharmaceutical and medical device industry.

On August 4, 2015 a law decree has been approved by lawmakers, which introduces a number of new mechanisms for monitoring and reining in public spending in the healthcare sector. In particular, the new legislation has introduced several measures:

  • Negotiations with current suppliers of the national healthcare service in order to achieve a 5% reduction in current spending for general supplies;
  • Negotiations with current suppliers of medical devices in order to comply with the spending thresholds agreed upon between the central government and regional authorities;
  • Centralized negotiations with pharmaceutical companies in order to decrease the reimbursement price of products currently reimbursed by the national healthcare service.

While measures aimed at cutting spending in connection with general supplies and medical devices have been entrusted in principle to local authorities and healthcare providers, the national pharmaceutical agency (“AIFA”) plays a central role in the envisaged mechanism to achieve savings for pharmaceutical products. In accordance with the provisions of the new decree, AIFA has indeed conducted negotiations throughout the month of September 2015, with the aim of decreasing overall spending. The new legislation provides the grouping of products in several “clusters” that include therapeutically similar products, regardless of their active principles. The lowest price in each cluster is then used as the reference price for direct negotiations between AIFA and manufacturers.

The new measures also provide that, in case of failure to reach an agreement, reimbursement by the national healthcare service may be withdrawn. However, it is also expressly provided that generic products are not admitted to reimbursement until any patents and supplementary protection certificates of branded products are definitely expired, thus providing the industry with assurances in connection with their protected drugs.

The reiterated attempts by public authorities to renegotiate prices with suppliers appear to clash not only with basic contractual principles (“pacta sunt servanda”), but also with fundamental rules of public procurement legislation. As the government (in fact, almost yearly) demands discounts on existing contracts, reliance on such contracts is affected, along with transparency and open competition in public procurement procedures. The truth is that the need to cut public expenditures is increasingly overriding basic tenets of contracts and public procurement law.

Med Tech and Pharma industry associations have voiced their concerns, while suggesting that efficiency and savings may be obtained by the national healthcare service through internal reorganization processes rather than by demanding additional discounts to suppliers. In fact, if we step aside from the conflicting commercial interests of suppliers (who want to maximize their revenues) and purchasers (who need to minimize their costs), we cannot but note that, again, the government appears to use cost cutting tools that focus on quantity rather than quality. On the contrary, we would expect that more emphasis should be given to Health Technology Assessment and innovation. We surely need to spend less money, but also to spend it more wisely.

On-line Sale of OTC Medicinal Products

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Effective as of tomorrow (July 1, 2015), Italian consumers will be able to purchase over-the-counter (“OTC”) drugs on-line.

Legislative decree nr. 17 of 2014 (“Decree”), enacting EU Directive 2011/62, introduced an innovative way of marketing medicinal products for pharmacies and authorized retailers. In order to do so, pharmacies and retailers must meet several conditions, aimed at preventing marketing of counterfeit products.

  1. First of all, pharmacies and retailers must be authorized by either regional entities, provinces or other competent authorities, upon providing the following information:
  • name, VAT and full address of the logistic site;
  • starting date of on-line sale;
  • website address and any other information that may be necessary to identify the seller’s website.

Any change must be communicated within 30 days, subject to forfeiture of the authorization.

  1. Secondly, the seller’s website must contain at least:
  • information relating to the authorizing authority;
  • a link to the Ministry of Health’s website;
  • a specific logo, including a link to the list of the authorized pharmacies and retailers, maintained by the Ministry of Health.

Additionally, the Ministry of Health’s website shall contain a link to a website created by the European Medicines Agency, which will include information on the purpose of the specific logo, as well as on the risks relating to medicinal products that are unlawfully supplied to the public. The Ministry of Health’s website will also contain information relating to the applicable laws and regulations, including any information on differences vis-à-vis other countries as to conditions regulating the supply of medicinal products.

  1. Lastly, distribution shall be carried out in compliance with good distribution practices.

The Italian Agency for Pharmaceutical Products (Agenzia Italiana del Farmaco, “AIFA”) will be in charge of enforcing the new set of rules. AIFA will direct an anti-counterfeiting system in cooperation with the Ministry of Health, the High Institute for Health (Istituto Superiore di Sanità, “ISS”), the Anti-counterfeiting and Health Department of the Police (Nuclei Antisofisticazione e Sanità, “NAS”), and the Customs Authorities. The system will receive reports concerning allegedly counterfeit medicinal products, and AIFA will coordinate seizure of actually counterfeit medicinal products.

Furthermore, the Ministry of Health, upon AIFA’s proposal, will have the power to issue cease and desist orders directed at on-line sellers, as well as orders aiming at blocking the access to websites selling counterfeit medicinal products.

Lastly, on-line sale of prescription drugs will be punished with imprisonment up to one year and a fine between Euro 2,000.00 and Euro 10,000.00, whereas on-line sale of medicinal products by unauthorized individuals or entities will be punished with imprisonment from 6 months to 2 years and a fine between Euro 3,000 and Euro 18,000. On-line sale of counterfeit medicinal products will be instead punished with imprisonment up to 3 years and with a fine between Euro 2,600.00 to Euro 15,600.00.

The measures introduced by the Decree appear balanced. On the one hand they grant an overall wider access to OTC medicinal products along with a presumable price reduction; on the other hand they set forth a solid enforcement system preventing and punishing marketing of counterfeit drugs. As with every innovation in the field of health, only time will tell if benefits and risks are actually balanced.

Hospital Use Of ATMPs: Toward A Stronger Protection Of Patients Resorting To Compassionate Use

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The Italian Ministry of Health has recently strengthened the requirements to obtain the authorization to manufacture and use advanced therapy medicinal products (“ATMPs” [1]) which are non-routinely produced. In fact, following the enactment of the Decree of the Ministry of Health of January 16th, 2015, published only last week (the “ATMP Decree”)[2], more control on such drugs’ hospital use is expected. The ATMP Decree does not apply to ATMPs under clinical trial and solely focus on compassionate use of non-routine ATMPs.

THE PREVIOUS REGULATORY SCENARIO. Prior to 2006, the use of gene therapy and cell therapy medicinal products, for which a marketing authorization had not been obtained, was authorized only within clinical trials[3]. In 2006[4] non-profit manufacturing and compassionate use[5] of gene therapy and somatic cell therapy medicinal products was first allowed.

The 2006 Decree allowed the use of such products on the basis of certain requirements, checked by the Agenzia Italiana del Farmaco, the governmental agency in charge of pharmaceuticals (“AIFA”). Given the lack of therapeutic alternatives in a life threatening condition, the requirements for production and use of gene therapy and cell therapy medicinal products were not especially strict and heavily relied on the patient’s consent and positive feedback by the Ethics Committee, as well as on the self-certification on the existence of the requirements by the doctor responsible for the drugs administering.

THE NEW RULES INTRODUCED. The ATMP Decree was introduced to protect consumers from fraudulent conducts. Even though the Decree does not make specific reference to it, it is widely accepted that the ATMP Decree aims at limiting the proliferation of cases like the famous “Stamina case”, where therapies for treatment of life-threatening diseases have been provided to patients in sheer lack of scientific grounds[6]. AIFA will enforce the new rules by way of on-site inspections that may lead to suspension or revocation of a previously granted authorization to manufacture, as well as to the prohibition to administer the drug. The ATMP Decree can be summarized as follows:

  • AUTHORIZATION TO MANUFACTURE. Manufacturing of ATMPs for non-routine hospital use now requires a prior authorization by AIFA, which is only issued to GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices) certified manufacturers[7]. Prior to issuing its authorization, AIFA checks compliance of the manufacturing site. The process may altogether take up to 120 days, save for further inquiries by AIFA[8].
  • AUTHORIZATION TO USE. Use of ATMPs is limited to “compassionate use”. Only certain public research hospitals will be suitable candidates to obtain AIFA’s authorization[9]. Moreover, the authorization will be released only upon approval by (i) a Committee for the Assessment of Admissibility to Phase I of Clinical Trials, composed of expert biologists and clinicians, and (ii) by the concerned hospital’s Ethical Committee. The authorization is issued after an analysis of all documents necessary to assess risks and benefits of the proposed treatment, as well as data concerning safety and efficacy available from previous clinical trials.
  • COOPERATION BY MANUFACTURERS AND PHYSICIANS.
    • Manufacturers of ATMPs must ensure traceability of medicinal products as well as of patients for thirty years, and must report to AIFA any adverse events. Also, manufacturers can deliver ATMPs only after authorization to use has been issued and in compliance with a physicians’ prescriptions.
    • Physicians, on the other hand, must ensure that the patient’s informed consent is obtained, and must comply with Good Clinical Practice principles in administering ATMPs in accordance with the protocol approved by the Ethics Committee. Finally, traceability of the drug and patient must be ensured and adverse events must be communicated promptly.

CONCLUSIONS. Manufacturing and use of ATMPs on non-routine basis shall follow objective requirements, to be assessed by governmental entities who are able to appreciate their scientific basis, rather than – as in the past – used under the mere responsibility of physicians and on the basis of self-certified manufacturing facilities. If, on the one hand, it would be advisable that all who need to resort to compassionate use of medicinal products can access medicinal products as quickly as possible, on the other hand it must be ensured that the same people receive adequate protection from deceitful conducts. The Stamina case showed how vulnerable to deception patients who are in a life threatening condition without any available cure can be to false hopes spread by therapies without scientific basis: the recent ATMP Decree attempts to protect them.

 

[1] According to Section 2 of Regulation (EC) No. 1394/2007 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 November 2007 on advanced therapy medicinal products and amending Directive 2001/83/EC and Regulation (EC) No. 726/2004 ATMPs include gene therapy products, somatic cell therapy products and tissue engineered products.

[2] The ATMP Decree has been published on the Official Gazette no. 56 of March 9th, 2015 and will become effective fifteen days after publication.

[3] See Section 1 of Ministerial Decree of March 2, 2004. Such non-routinely manufactured drugs were also excluded by the scope of the Pharma Code (Legislative Decree no. 219 of 2006) which focused on the industrial manufacturing of medicinal products and excluded non-routine drugs from its scope.

[4] Ministerial Decree n. 25520 of December 5th, 2006.

[5] According to Ministerial Decree n. 11521 of May 8th, 2013 “compassionate use” or “expanded access” of medicinal products may occur when no suitable alternative is available, in case of life-threatening situations, when serious harm to a patient’s health is potential, or in case of serious diseases with fast progression.

[6] The “Stamina Method”, created by Prof. Vannoni for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, is based on the conversion of mesenchymal stem cells into neurons and apparently lacks any scientific foundation. The method itself was also harshly criticized by Nature, one of the most prestigious scientific journals (http://www.nature.com/news/italian-stem-cell-trial-based-on-flawed-data-1.13329). Prof. Vannoni manufactured ATMPs while completely disregarding GMPs. Prof. Vannoni was criminally charged and prosecuted for organized crime with the purpose of fraud and recently plea bargained.

[7] Principles and guidelines of GMPs are contained in Commission Directive 2003/94/EC of 8 October 2003 laying down the principles and guidelines of good manufacturing practice in respect of medicinal products for human use and investigational medicinal products for human use.

[8] The process also includes submittal of request for authorization, along with a report on the ATMP.

New Transparency List For Generics And A Victory In Court

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On February 16, 2015 the Italian Medicines Agency (“AIFA”) has published the 2015 update to the so called “transparency list” (lista di trasparenza), i.e., a list of generic drugs authorized in Italy, along with their market price.

Following a number of changes in the legislation governing generics in the past few years, the National Health Service currently only reimburses the cost of the less expensive generic on the market. In fact, Section 7 of Law Decree 347/2001 sets forth the medicines having the same active ingredients composition, pharmaceutical form, way of administration, release modalities, number of tablets and dosage, are reimbursed by the National Health Service up to the price of the less expensive product on the market. The transparency list serves as a tool for reimbursement purposes: if the patient chooses to buy a branded product or a more expensive generic, the patient will need to cover the difference in price.

The publication of the transparency list comes shortly after a recent decision of the highest Italian administrative court, which stroke down past practices of AIFA on the reimbursement of new generics. In this case, the generic drug company EG S.p.A. claimed that AIFA issued a marketing authorization for gabapentin (a generic drug approved in a different EU member state) but unduly refused to recognize any reimbursement. The per-tablet dosage of the generic drug was in fact different from the branded product and other generics already included in the transparency list: therefore, according to AIFA, reimbursement was not warranted by Section 7 of Law Decree 347/2001. AIFA also argued that the new dosage, higher than other reimbursed products, entailed risks for the patients’ safety, as they would have to apportion the right dosage themselves (e.g., to split the drug tablets in half). The administrative court stated that such risk was ungrounded and had no impact on the reimbursement of the drug: if at all, it should have prevented AIFA from issuing a marketing authorization in the first place. Furthermore, the court stated that the National Health Service may reimburse a generic even if not included in the transparency list, striking down AIFA’s argument that dosages already reimbursed by the National Health Service sufficiently covered the needs of the patients, as such criterion was not set forth in applicable legislation.

The court decision comes as the latest victory for generics on the Italian market, adding to several regulatory and legislative changes prompted by budged restraints in the past few years, causing generics to continue gaining strength. In the meantime, proposed new legislation on the sale of generics outside of authorized pharmacies is stirring public debate.