Greece has taken two linked steps to moderate pharmaceutical clawback liabilities. An August decision finalises a €400 million increase in the expenditure ceilings used for 2025 clawback calculations, while a July programme allows qualifying R&D and productive investment to offset part of companies’ clawback payments.
The joint ministerial decision, published on 7 August after 2025 expenditure data were finalised, allocates the €400 million across three spending pools. €60 million goes to community-pharmacy expenditure of the National Organization for the Provision of Health Services (Εθνικός Οργανισμός Παροχής Υπηρεσιών Υγείας, EOPYY), taking the annual limit to €1.376 billion. A further €135 million raises the limit for high-cost medicines supplied through EOPYY pharmacies to €1.055 billion, while €205 million raises the hospital medicines limit to €777 million.
Because clawback is calculated against expenditure above these ceilings, the higher limits reduce final 2025 liabilities, all else equal. Differences from amounts calculated under the earlier provisional allocation will be reconciled through new clawback notices during 2026.
The second measure is the 2026–2027 clawback-offset call published by the General Secretariat for Research and Innovation (Γενική Γραμματεία Έρευνας και Καινοτομίας, GSRI) on 13 July. The €150 million programme allows eligible companies to offset part of their clawback against approved R&D and investment in products, services or production lines. Applications run from 14 July to 1 October.
The two measures moderate the same expenditure-control mechanism in different ways. One raises the public spending base against which clawback is calculated; the other links further relief to research and productive investment, reducing effective clawback exposure for participating companies.
Source: Ministry of National Economy and Finance and Ministry of Health
Link: Καθορισμός ύψους και κατανομή της προσαύξησης της παρ. 3(δ) του άρθρου 25 του ν. 4549/2018, περίτου μηχανισμού αυτόματης επιστροφής clawback (Determination and allocation of the increase in pharmaceutical expenditure limits under the clawback mechanism)
Date: 7 August 2026
Source: General Secretariat for Research and Innovation
Link: Πρόσκληση προς δικαιούχους επιχειρήσεις για το συμψηφισμό αυτόματης επιστροφής φαρμακευτικήςδαπάνης (Call to eligible companies for the offset of the automatic pharmaceutical expenditure clawback)
Date: 13 July 2026
