Medicine prices in Morocco will be reviewed more often, while new rules will make generic medicines cheaper. A new government decree, No. 2.25.631, has now come into force. It changes the rules for setting prices for medicines made locally and those imported from abroad.
The main goal is to make medicines more affordable and reduce what patients pay for treatment, including people covered by compulsory health insurance.
The new rules give more attention to generic medicines and biosimilars. Their prices will be linked to the prices of the original medicines they replace.
Generic medicines must meet minimum price reductions when they enter the market. The reduction will depend on whether the original medicine has a factory price, excluding tax, of Dh300 or less, or more than Dh300.
A separate rule applies when the original medicine has the same factory price as the most expensive generic medicine in the reference countries used for price comparisons. The price matching rate will then be cut by 50%.
The decree also changes how prices are calculated when companies change the size of a medicine pack or its dosage.
New calculation tables cover tablets, capsules, oral ampoules, suppositories, ointments and injectable medicines. Depending on the type and size of the medicine, the rules provide for discounts of between 12% and 30%.
These rules also limit price increases linked to small changes in pack sizes.
Another major change is a price review every three years for original medicines.
Each review will compare medicine prices with those in the reference countries listed in the decree. Different rules will apply to medicines priced at Dh300 or less and those above Dh300.
The decree also sets limits on some price reductions. A reduction of up to 15% can apply to certain generic medicines, depending on the conditions set out in the decree.
Small price changes will not always trigger a review.
No review will take place when the proposed reduction is less than Dh1 for medicines priced at Dh15 or less. The minimum reduction is Dh2 for medicines priced between Dh16 and Dh70.
The new rules also simplify how medicine prices are rounded.
A calculated price can be rounded down to the nearest whole dirham, to Dh0.50, or up to the nearest whole dirham, depending on the final amount.
The changes update the system used to set medicine prices, with a stronger focus on generic medicines, regular price reviews and clearer rules for changes in pack sizes and dosages.
