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Greece’s pharmaceutical industry has clashed with the country’s Health Ministry over the future financing of the government’s “Prolamvano” (“I Prevent”) obesity program, after the initiative was excluded from funding under the European Union’s Recovery and Resilience Facility.

The dispute centers on whether pharmaceutical companies should be required to cover part of the program’s costs through Greece’s mandatory clawback mechanism, under which drug manufacturers are required to reimburse the state when pharmaceutical spending exceeds predetermined limits.

The Hellenic Association of Pharmaceutical Companies (SFEE) has sent a letter to Health Minister Adonis Georgiadis and Alternate Health Minister Eirini Agapidaki, urging the government not to impose mandatory clawback payments on obesity medicines distributed through the prevention program.

According to SFEE, the government is attempting to cover both the program’s costs to date and its future continuation by shifting the financial burden onto pharmaceutical companies.

The controversy follows the recent adoption of Article 102 of a new law, which provides that public health initiatives under Greece’s “Spyros Doxiadis” National Prevention Program, previously financed through the EU Recovery and Resilience Facility, will continue after European funding expires. Beginning September 1, 2026, responsibility for financing these actions will transfer to the budget of EOPYY, Greece’s national healthcare services organization, which will also become the implementing body.

The obesity initiative had originally been incorporated into the broader cardiovascular prevention program. However, according to the report, EU authorities did not accept that classification and therefore declined to finance the free distribution of obesity medications, creating a funding shortfall that must now be covered through the Health Ministry’s budget.

SFEE argues that the ministry unexpectedly decided to recover part of that cost through the clawback system without prior consultation with the pharmaceutical industry.

The association also said the ministry intends to negotiate reimbursement prices for obesity medications, raising uncertainty over whether the program can resume as planned on September 1. It also noted that no provision has been made for July and August, during which many eligible patients reportedly paid for their medications out of pocket after free access was interrupted.

Industry Objects to Retroactive Charges

In its letter, SFEE emphasizes that the medicines involved were never submitted for reimbursement, as they were supplied exclusively through a government prevention program.

The association argues that the Health Ministry unilaterally decided to provide coverage without prior negotiations with the marketing authorization holders, without conducting a reimbursement assessment, and without securing the necessary funding.

SFEE also strongly opposes any retroactive application of clawback charges for medicines already dispensed through the program, describing such a move as “completely unjustified and unacceptable.”

Warning of a “Dangerous Precedent”

While stressing that it fully supports preventive healthcare and recognizes the public health benefits of treating obesity, SFEE argues that implementing a program without guaranteed financing and later transferring the costs to pharmaceutical companies creates “an extremely dangerous precedent.”

According to the association, such an approach undermines the predictability of Greece’s reimbursement system and erodes confidence in institutional decision-making.

SFEE is calling on the government to:

• Recognize that clawback should not apply to medicines that have never sought reimbursement.
• Refrain from imposing retroactive clawback charges on medicines supplied through the “Prolamvano” program.
• Ensure the program’s continuation through adequate public funding, transparency, and predictable financing.

The dispute has opened a broader debate over how preventive healthcare initiatives will be financed after EU Recovery and Resilience Facility funding ends.

A key unresolved question is whether the transfer of funding responsibility to EOPYY under Article 102 will be accompanied by additional state funding, or whether pharmaceutical companies will continue to shoulder part of the cost through Greece’s clawback mechanism.

Greece’s pharmaceutical industry has clashed with the country’s Health Ministry over the future financing of the government’s “Prolamvano” (“I Prevent”) obesity program, after the initiative was excluded from funding under the European Union’s Recovery and Resilience Facility.

The dispute centers on whether pharmaceutical companies should be required to cover part of the program’s costs through Greece’s mandatory clawback mechanism, under which drug manufacturers are required to reimburse the state when pharmaceutical spending exceeds predetermined limits.

The Hellenic Association of Pharmaceutical Companies (SFEE) has sent a letter to Health Minister Adonis Georgiadis and Alternate Health Minister Eirini Agapidaki, urging the government not to impose mandatory clawback payments on obesity medicines distributed through the prevention program.

According to SFEE, the government is attempting to cover both the program’s costs to date and its future continuation by shifting the financial burden onto pharmaceutical companies.

The controversy follows the recent adoption of Article 102 of a new law, which provides that public health initiatives under Greece’s “Spyros Doxiadis” National Prevention Program, previously financed through the EU Recovery and Resilience Facility, will continue after European funding expires. Beginning September 1, 2026, responsibility for financing these actions will transfer to the budget of EOPYY, Greece’s national healthcare services organization, which will also become the implementing body.

The obesity initiative had originally been incorporated into the broader cardiovascular prevention program. However, according to the report, EU authorities did not accept that classification and therefore declined to finance the free distribution of obesity medications, creating a funding shortfall that must now be covered through the Health Ministry’s budget.

SFEE argues that the ministry unexpectedly decided to recover part of that cost through the clawback system without prior consultation with the pharmaceutical industry.

The association also said the ministry intends to negotiate reimbursement prices for obesity medications, raising uncertainty over whether the program can resume as planned on September 1. It also noted that no provision has been made for July and August, during which many eligible patients reportedly paid for their medications out of pocket after free access was interrupted.

Industry Objects to Retroactive Charges

In its letter, SFEE emphasizes that the medicines involved were never submitted for reimbursement, as they were supplied exclusively through a government prevention program.

The association argues that the Health Ministry unilaterally decided to provide coverage without prior negotiations with the marketing authorization holders, without conducting a reimbursement assessment, and without securing the necessary funding.

SFEE also strongly opposes any retroactive application of clawback charges for medicines already dispensed through the program, describing such a move as “completely unjustified and unacceptable.”

Warning of a “Dangerous Precedent”

While stressing that it fully supports preventive healthcare and recognizes the public health benefits of treating obesity, SFEE argues that implementing a program without guaranteed financing and later transferring the costs to pharmaceutical companies creates “an extremely dangerous precedent.”

According to the association, such an approach undermines the predictability of Greece’s reimbursement system and erodes confidence in institutional decision-making.

SFEE is calling on the government to:

• Recognize that clawback should not apply to medicines that have never sought reimbursement.
• Refrain from imposing retroactive clawback charges on medicines supplied through the “Prolamvano” program.
• Ensure the program’s continuation through adequate public funding, transparency, and predictable financing.

The dispute has opened a broader debate over how preventive healthcare initiatives will be financed after EU Recovery and Resilience Facility funding ends.

A key unresolved question is whether the transfer of funding responsibility to EOPYY under Article 102 will be accompanied by additional state funding, or whether pharmaceutical companies will continue to shoulder part of the cost through Greece’s clawback mechanism.