The study “How should medicines reimbursement work? The views of Spanish experts” explores how Spain can strengthen the transparency, consistency, and technical robustness of its medicines pricing and reimbursement (P&R) system. While Spanish law outlines six criteria for reimbursement—such as therapeutic value, cost-effectiveness, and degree of innovation—it lacks clear guidance on how these should be defined and measured, creating uncertainty in decision-making.
To address this gap, the authors—Juan Carlos Rejon-Parrilla, David Epstein, Daniel Pérez-Troncoso, and Jaime Espín—surveyed a large group of Spanish health economists, HTA specialists, and policymakers. Their findings reveal broad support for using QALYs, explicit cost-effectiveness thresholds, and greater consideration for unmet medical needs and rare diseases. This evidence provides valuable insights at a pivotal time, as Spain reforms its HTA framework and the EU moves toward more harmonised assessment and reimbursement processes.