In their 2025 study published in Health Economics, Policy and Law by Cambridge University Press, Juan Carlos Rejon-Parrilla, David Epstein, Daniel Pérez-Troncoso, and Jaime Espín explore how medicines reimbursement should be structured in Spain. While reimbursement criteria are formally established in legislation, their practical definitions and methods of measurement often remain ambiguous. This research addresses that gap by capturing expert perspectives on how these criteria should be interpreted and applied in real-world decision-making.
Drawing on survey responses from a diverse group of Spanish professionals in health economics, health technology assessment, and the pharmaceutical industry, the authors identify consensus on several key points. Experts emphasise prioritising unmet medical needs and rare diseases, recommending the use of quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) to assess health benefits and advocating for an explicit cost-effectiveness threshold. The findings offer valuable guidance for developing clearer, evidence-based frameworks in Spain’s pricing and reimbursement policies.