WAIT INDICATOR

Improving the availability of medicines authorised in the European Union (EU) is a crucial priority for the European medicines regulatory network and for the pharmaceutical industry. This year’s iteration of the Patients W.A.I.T. (Waiting to Access Innovative Therapies) Indicator has been running in evolving formats since 2004. It is the most extensive European study into innovative medicines availability and the time to patient access.

The publication includes data on 36 countries (27 EU, and 9 non-EU), giving a complete European picture of availability. The study published this year is based on data covering 167 innovative medicines with central-marketing authorisation between 2019 and 2022. 

In 2024, Luxembourg participates in the study for the third time and for the second time it can provide information on the date of entry of innovative medicines on the positive list or on the commercialised medicines list. The figures of Luxembourg included the medicines with a public reimbursement price (positive list) and every medicine distributed through the hospital pharmacy  (products D and H in commercialised medicines) is 100 % supported by the hospital's budget (free for the patient).

While in the study published in 2022, Luxembourg provided access to 66% of innovative medicines (as did France), in 2023 the rate dropped to 57% and in 2024 this negative trend is confirmed with only 53% of innovative medicines reaching Luxembourg patients. This represents a loss year after year, and it makes the country ranking 12th, after neighbouring countries such as Germany and France, but also after countries such as the Czech Republic and Spain. 

These results do not fully consider the extended delays in the pricing and reimbursement processes that started in November 2021. Most probably evidence of these shortcomings will be evident in the following surveys.