Serbia has introduced a major reduction in out-of-pocket prescription drug costs, a measure expected to provide direct savings to approximately 2.5 million residents.
The government has allocated more than €100 million to the program, which covers 769 medications—or 99.6% of all drugs that previously required patients to make an additional payment.
Under the new system, patients will pay between 10% and 50% of a medication’s price. Savings on most covered drugs could reach 40%, reducing costs by hundreds of Serbian dinars per package for many families.
Several important treatments for blood clotting disorders and heart failure will also become available by prescription. Some therapies that previously cost as much as 6,000 dinars will now cost patients between 750 and 1,100 dinars, while certain heart medications will fall from 4,500 to approximately 1,700 dinars.
The price reductions also apply to several commonly used medications. According to the report, the patient cost for clindamycin will fall from 226 to 75 dinars, while Hemomycin will cost approximately half as much as before.
Levoksa will be four times cheaper, certain eye drops will fall from 635 to 181 dinars, and a Pulmicort inhaler will cost 91 dinars instead of 320.
Dr. Milan Lazarević, director of the University Clinical Center in Niš, described the measure as a major victory for patients and a turning point for the country’s health care system.
“When medications are more affordable, people receive treatment on time, do not abandon their therapy and do not arrive at the hospital at the last moment,” Lazarević said.
He added that the changes could result in fewer medical complications and emergency interventions while helping save more lives.
The current measure will remain in place for at least 12 months. A separate permanent system, supported by the government, is scheduled to begin Aug. 17 and will add more medications to the country’s prescription coverage.
