Lithuania is introducing advance planning for medicine reimbursement submissions after uneven application volumes created queues before detailed health technology assessment begins.
The State Medicines Control Agency (Valstybinė vaistų kontrolės tarnyba, VVKT) asked companies on 15 September to notify it by 30 September of applications they intend to submit before the end of 2026. VVKT will use the information to establish a preliminary order for assessments.
The agency received 36 reimbursement applications during the first eight months of 2026, but volumes varied substantially. Monthly submissions rose from one to three during January–March to six in April, 12 in May and five in June, before falling to three or four in July and August. December 2025 had produced an even larger peak of 14 applications.
VVKT says its current HTA capacity allows detailed assessment to start for six applications each month. When submissions exceed that capacity, applications can wait for up to three months before detailed assessment, contributing to assessment periods longer than those provided for in legislation.
Companies are being asked to provide the medicine name and INN, proposed indication, application type and expected submission month. The notice does not change HTA criteria or establish binding submission slots, and VVKT does not state that unplanned applications will be refused.
The change therefore adds a capacity-planning stage to the Lithuanian reimbursement process rather than altering the assessment itself. Greater visibility of forthcoming submissions should allow VVKT to manage peaks in workload and give applicants a clearer indication of when detailed assessment can begin.
Source: State Medicines Control Agency, Lithuania
Link: Pereinama prie planinio STV paraiškų teikimo (Transition to planned HTA application submission)
Date: 15 September 2026
