The Agency for Medicinal Products and Medical Devices of the Republic of Slovenia (Javna agencija Republike Slovenije za zdravila in medicinske pripomočke JAZMP) has published revised European standards for drug price benchmarking. This document – What makes an effective External Reference Pricing system today? – represents a major output of the European Price Information Database (EURIPID) Access project.
The Bulgarian National Council on Prices and Reimbursement of Medicinal Products (Nacionalen savet po tseni i rembursirane na lekarstvenite produkti NCPR) led the revision in collaboration with several national authorities. These included the Hungarian National Health Insurance Fund Administration (Nemzeti Egészségbiztosítási Alapkezelő NEAK), the Austrian National Public Health Institute (Gesundheit Österreich GmbH GÖG), and the Polish Agency for Health Technology Assessment and Tariff System (Agencja Oceny Technologii Medycznych i Taryfikacji AOTMiT). Further contributions came from the Belgian National Institute for Health and Disability Insurance (Institut national d'assurance maladie-invalidité RIZIV-INAMI) and the Portuguese National Authority of Medicines and Health Products (Autoridade Nacional do Medicamento e Produtos de Saúde INFARMED).
The Board of Participants formally approved the guidance in December 2025 following extensive surveys and an assessment of pricing models across member states. The update incorporates feedback from a stakeholder forum held in June 2025. It provides policymakers with evidence-based methods to refine external reference pricing (ERP) systems while mitigating risks to patient access.
This update signals a shift in European payer doctrine toward more sustainable benchmarking. By standardising the technical application of ERP, EURIPID aims to prevent the unintended consequences of cross-border price linking – such as launch delays in lower-income markets. The guidance strengthens the technical capacity of national regulators to justify pricing decisions during negotiations with manufacturers. This institutional alignment will likely lead to more predictable price-setting across the participating territories.
Source: Agency for Medicinal Products and Medical Devices of the Republic of Slovenia
Link: What makes an effective External Reference Pricing system today?
Date: 6 February 2026
