In recent years, medical science has seen a wave of groundbreaking treatments for serious conditions such as blood cancers, hemophilia, and rare genetic disorders. Yet for patients in Greece, access to these medicines remains extremely limited. While many of these therapies have been approved and available across Europe for more than three years, only a handful have reached Greece — and mostly through exceptional, individual requests.

At the core of the problem lies a combination of high drug prices and a chronically low budget for pharmaceutical reimbursements. Despite promises of reform, a plan by the Ministry of Health to address the gap has been stalled for more than a year, leaving patients in limbo.

A System Out of Step with Europe

Fifteen months ago, a list from the Danish Medicines Council highlighted the extent of Greece’s lag in access. Out of 18 advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs) reviewed, Greek patients had full access to just one, with another available only through one-off special orders. The situation has barely improved since, even as new breakthrough drugs have entered the European market.

By contrast, in many EU countries, newly approved drugs become available to patients within months of clearance from the European Medicines Agency (EMA). In Greece, however, the process is slower, more complicated, and often prohibitively expensive.

The Long Road to Approval

For a medicine to reach the Greek market, several steps must take place. After EMA approval, a pharmaceutical company must request a price from the Ministry of Health. The drug is then assessed by the national Health Technology Assessment Committee, which evaluates its therapeutic value. Only after this stage does the ministry negotiate reimbursement prices with the manufacturer.

Because Greece maintains one of the lowest pharmaceutical reimbursement budgets in Europe, the offered reimbursement rates are often too low for companies to accept. As a result, many choose not to launch their most innovative — and costly — therapies in the Greek market.

The Exceptional Path: “Individual Orders”

When a patient is in urgent need of a treatment unavailable in Greece, doctors can file a request on their behalf. The application is reviewed by a special committee, and if approved, the drug can be imported by the Institute of Pharmaceutical Research and Technology (IFET), a subsidiary of the National Medicines Agency.

But this procedure comes with two major drawbacks. First, it is slow and bureaucratic, meaning patients face long waits for treatments they often cannot afford to delay. Second, the imported drugs are purchased at very high prices, straining an already limited system. Experts note that this arrangement is highly unusual in Europe and has become a structural obstacle rather than a solution to patients’ needs.

Breakthrough Therapies Still Out of Reach

Among the therapies that remain largely unavailable in Greece are treatments for multiple myeloma (bone marrow cancer), melanoma, and various forms of lymphoma. Even with urgent requests, these medicines are often impossible to obtain.

Other advanced therapies missing from the Greek market include gene therapies for hemophilia, stem cell treatments for rare hereditary disorders that damage the nervous system and organs, and therapies to repair cartilage defects in the knee. Many of these drugs are considered “orphan medicines,” designed for rare diseases with no alternative treatments.

According to a study by IQVIA for the Hellenic Association of Pharmaceutical Companies, half of the medicines approved by European authorities between 2021 and 2024 are not expected to reach Greece at all.

“A Question of Equality and Dignity”

For patients and advocates, the issue is not only about healthcare policy but also about fundamental rights. Vasiliki Vakouftsi, president of the Hellenic Patients’ Association, described the problem as one of social justice.

“Access to innovative medicines is much more than a matter of pharmaceutical policy. It is a matter of equality, social protection, and dignity,” she said.

Vakouftsi pointed out that while patients in other EU countries benefit from new drugs within months of EMA approval, Greek patients often wait two or three years, if they ever gain access at all. For those suffering from life-threatening chronic diseases, these delays can be devastating.

“Patients are left behind,” she explained. “They are forced to wait, to suffer, or to seek solutions abroad. The so-called ‘individual order’ may provide a temporary lifeline but cannot cover the needs of the many. It is no substitute for a system of equal and universal access.”

The Human Cost of Delays

For many patients, the wait for innovative drugs is not merely an inconvenience but a matter of life and death. Reports have surfaced of patients following foreign news outlets to learn about new therapies already in use in Europe, while knowing they may have to wait years for access at home.

This gap in access fosters a sense of injustice among patients, who see their European peers benefiting from advances that remain out of their reach.

A Stalled Government Initiative

To address these delays, the Ministry of Health, in cooperation with pharmaceutical companies, announced the creation of a “Transitional Reimbursement Scheme for Medicines,” also referred to as an Innovation Fund. The goal was to bridge the period between EMA approval and full inclusion of new drugs on Greece’s reimbursement list, for up to 36 months.

The plan aimed to prioritize high-cost, cutting-edge therapies and had an estimated budget of €100–120 million. However, more than a year after its announcement, the initiative remains on paper, with no concrete progress.

Patients Still Waiting

Until reforms move forward, the reality for Greek patients remains unchanged: many of the world’s most advanced therapies are simply out of reach. The result is a widening gap between Greece and the rest of Europe, where patients gain timely access to life-saving medicines.

As Vakouftsi stressed, the issue goes beyond budgets and bureaucracy. It cuts to the heart of fairness in healthcare: “Knowing that a treatment exists elsewhere in Europe but not in your own country is a heavy burden for patients. Every delay costs time — and for many, time is life.”