iNTERVIEW
Proposals by pharmaceutical companies
With the savings from the cost reduction , you can buy more expensive innovative drugs
iNTERVIEW
Summer 2016 / Issue 50 experience as a Fortune 200 company , we have identified many positive developments along with some areas for improvement , which are common for this stage of development . The State institutions have been cooperative and supportive throughout the implementation of our investment project . Being eager to attract foreign investment , they are open to understanding the needs of international companies and meet the specific requests of an industry / sector .
ACM : What are the projections for volume production and exports this year ? Are there any plans for further expansion of the capacity of LEAR ’ s TIDZ Tetovo Plant ?
Capkovic : In the middle of the launch phase , the production in the Greenfield factory until the end of the year is planned to reach 3000 + car sets per week . Full capacity of the Lear Tetovo Plant is planned to be achieved by year end 2017 and by then we expect to employ close to 2,000
ACM : Do you cooperate with domestic suppliers of goods and services ; if yes , how would you rate this cooperation ?
Capkovic : Whenever there is a possibility , we try to cooperate with domestic suppliers , since usually they can offer more competitive prices . As a result , we have established solid relationships with a number of domestic , even local , suppliers . There are some areas though – quality and consistency of provided services – that need upgrading and we are working hard on educating the local market to be able to follow our global standards and grow together .
Company profile
Lear Corporation is ranked # 154 on the Fortune 500 with world-class products designed , engineered and manufactured by a diverse team of talented employees . As a leading supplier of automotive seating and electrical , Lear serves its customers with global capabilities while maintaining individual commitment . With headquarters in Southfield , Michigan , Lear maintains 240 locations in 36 countries around the globe and employs approximately 136,000 employees . Lear is traded under the symbol [ LEA ] on the New York Stock Exchange .
But , the lower the level of a country ’ s economic development , the lesser the capacity to support treatment with innovative drugs . The question is : How to increase the presence of these drugs on the State Fund ’ s Positive List ?
Proposals by pharmaceutical companies
The Association of Representatives of foreign manufacturers of innovative medicines , Farmabrend Nova , suggests a few possible solutions to increasing patients ’ access to new drugs : a )
b )
c )
Budget savings from price reductions to be invested in new innovative medicines ; Openness to make agreements between the Ministry of Health , the Health Insurance Fund and companies in the interest of patients ( currently being done at Medicines Agency ); Create additional funding sources ( the so-called health denar ) to increase the percentage of the budget that is spent on drugs . Farmabrend Nova representatives emphasize that within the EU , the process of revising the positive list ranges between 85-365 days . In Bulgaria , for example , if a drug is on the positive list in 5 EU countries , it is automatically added to the positive list .
According to Farmabrend Nova : “ The process of revision and expansion of the positive list in our country was stopped until last year when a hemato-oncological drugs commission was established . After many years , this is a positive signal for innovative companies and their plans of registering new medicines in Macedonia .”
The World Bank recommends
Why is big pharma leaving Macedonia ? Continued from page 17
With the savings from the cost reduction , you can buy more expensive innovative drugs
A World Bank report on the spending of public finances , in its health section , recommends that Macedonia continue reducing the cost of procuring generic medicines through reference pricing and its public procurement system , while simultaneously introducing innovative approaches to procurement of expensive , new drugs . The Ministry of Health and the Health Insurance Fund will have to rely on cost-benefit analysis in terms of adding expensive treatments , procedures and new patented drugs on the positive list , through the Health Technology Assessments ( HTA ) process or similar mechanisms . It takes a long time to develop an HTA capacity program , so the World Bank recommends using modified methodologies taken from developed countries ( Britain or Germany , for example ) as a good temporary choice ,” says the World Bank .
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