Albania has amended the rules for its medicines price commission, brought forward the annual pricing timetable and ordered a fresh review of 2026 approved prices.
The Council of Ministers (Këshilli i Ministrave, CoM) approved the changes on 26 March through amendments to Decision No. 645 of 1 October 2014 on the establishment and functioning of the Medicines Price Commission, developed in response to a request from the Minister of Health and Social Welfare. In its accompanying statement, the Ministry of Health and Social Protection said the package responds to concerns over pricing methodology, procedural delays and continuity of supply. The source title translates as ‘Council of Ministers decision approved on the establishment and functioning of the Medicines Price Commission’.
The CoM text sets out a series of linked changes. It revises the commission’s composition, which now includes two representatives from the ministry responsible for health, one from the ministry responsible for finance, one from the Mandatory Health Care Insurance Fund (Fondi i Sigurimit të Detyrueshëm të Kujdesit Shëndetësor, FSDKSH) and one from the National Agency for Medicines and Medical Devices (Agjencia Kombëtare për Barnat dhe Pajisjet Mjekësore, AKBPM). One of the health ministry representatives will chair the body by ministerial order, while the secretary will come from the ministry unit responsible for pharmaceuticals.
The amendments also accelerate the annual pricing cycle. In several provisions, the deadline of 31 October is replaced by 30 September. One submission point moves from 30 September to 1 September, while another step moves from 5 November to 5 October. The decision also allows documents that previously had to be submitted with a seal to be filed using an electronic signature.
The CoM has also revised the pricing rule itself. Albania will now use the lowest of three values: the average of the three lowest prices across five reference countries – Italy, Greece, Serbia, North Macedonia and Croatia – the retail price in the country of origin, or the import price recorded in Albania over the previous 12 months or the CIF price approved a year earlier. The decision also states that generic and biosimilar products must be priced at up to 80% of the originator price where the originator holds a marketing authorisation in Albania.
For 2026, the government has added a one-off step. Once the amended decision enters into force through publication in the Official Gazette, the commission must re-evaluate the approved prices for 2026 within 10 days and send the revised list to AKBPM and FSDKSH for implementation. The ministry said this exceptional measure is intended to reduce the risk of withdrawals, particularly where reimbursed or hospital medicines have only one available option.
Source: Ministry of Health and Social Protection, Albania
Link: Miratohet VKM “Për ngritjen dhe mënyrën e funksionimit të Komisionit të Çmimit të Barnave” (Council of Ministers decision approved on the establishment and functioning of the Medicines Price Commission)
Date: 26 March 2026
