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Article: U.S. Firms Hit West German Drug Plan; Limiting Prices Called Threat to Research and Development Efforts
- Article from:
- The Washington Post
- Article date:
- October 14, 1988
- Author:
CopyrightThis material is published under license from the Washington Post. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Washington Post. (Hide copyright information)
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For years, West Germany has had one of the world's most
lucrative pharmaceutical markets. With a national health plan that
paid for anything doctors prescribed, West German drug prices
averaged as much as 70 percent higher than those in other European
countries, providing a tonic for drug firms hobbled by price
restrictions in Britain and France.
At the end of this month, those days will come to an end.
In an attempt to rein in health care costs that have risen twice
as fast as consumer prices in the past 20 years, the West German
legislature is about to hammer out the final details on a
comprehensive health reform act that will result in substantial
cutbacks in the amount the West ...