ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the specific approach that needs to be taken to make it more useful in the prescription drug situation. It considers a fictitious example for a national drug pricing negotiation in Italy with Agencia Italiana del Farmaco and discusses negotiations in fairly general terms. Access and price negotiations in the prescription drug space are very different from most other business areas. Access negotiations are all about understanding the payer’s system rules and their perspectives. National payers are usually bound by formal approval rules and processes and are often more concerned with the drug budget than with overall medical cost, but this can differ from case to case. Hospital decision-making for prescriptions drugs is usually made by a drug formulary committee, composed of pharmacists and clinicians. Provider groups, such as physician group practices or large integrated delivery networks, can act as a payer in situations where they purchase and stock injectable and infusion drugs.
