WILLEMSTAD - The regulation on maximum prices for medicines remains. The judge ruled that the government may limit the price of medicines, in a lawsuit brought by five importers and wholesalers of medicines.
In June 2019, the government set new maximum prices and introduced the substitution policy. This means that the purchase of unbranded medicines is stimulated. The importers asked the judge to withdraw these arrangements. However, the judge did not agree with their arguments.
The costs of medicines are relatively high in Curaçao. More than half of the total costs for public health go to the financing of medicines. In the ruling, the judge stated: “It should also be noted that not only in Curaçao, but also international regulation of the prices of medicines has been a recurring point of attention for governments for years, because medicines traditionally form an important share of the total healthcare costs and the health care costs are mainly public costs, also here in Curaçao, the decision of which cannot be left entirely to the free market.”
According to the judge, it is understandable that the government wants to reduce the share of medicines in health care costs.