Turkish payer formalises procedures for imported medicines reimbursement applications

The General Directorate of General Health Insurance at the Social Security Institution (Sosyal Güvenlik Kurumu, SGK) published the text on 18 March, following approval by the SGK Management Board on 11 March. The title translates as ‘On the procedures and principles for alternative reimbursement applications for medicines supplied from abroad for personal treatment by the Social Security Institution’. The rules took effect on publication. 

The framework applies to medicines that are either not licensed in Turkey or are licensed but unavailable on the domestic market, where the Ministry of Health has permitted import for individual treatment and SGK financing is sought. It also covers applications concerning products already financed by SGK, including requests to change reimbursement conditions and price terms for medicines listed in Annex 4/C of the Health Implementation Communiqué. 

The single procedural text specifies who may apply, how files must be submitted, how incomplete dossiers will be handled and which cases will proceed to commission review. Applications may be filed by companies or public bodies. If the file is incomplete, the secretariat will notify the applicant and the review will stop until the missing material is supplied. Medicines accepted into Annex 4/C after commission review will be published in the Official Gazette. 

The evidentiary package is detailed. Applicants must submit authority documents, a commitment letter, a pricing offer form, data on price and status in other countries, summaries of clinical evidence, treatment-position tables, and short summaries covering epidemiology, treatment duration, comparators and expected use. SGK also allows requests for price confidentiality and reserves the right to seek further information where needed. 

With this revision SGK provides a clearer administrative basis for handling a specialised reimbursement route and sets a more explicit filing standard for applicants seeking entry, renewal or revision under imported-medicines arrangements. 

Source: Social Security Institution, Turkey
Link: Sosyal Güvenlik Kurumu Şahsi Tedavi İçin Yurt Dışından Temin Edilen İlaçların Alternatif Geri Ödeme Başvurularına İlişkin Usul ve Esaslar Hakkında (On the procedures and principles for alternative reimbursement applications for medicines supplied from abroad for personal treatment by the Social Security Institution)
Date: 18 March 2026