German continuity

Germany's new coalition of Christian Democrats and Social Democrats has shown no sign that it is going to show a new attitude toward the pharma industry, which the old government used to blame as the main cost driver of Germany's statutory healthcare system. Last week, German Federal Health Minister Ulla Schmidt - a Social Democrat who will remain responsible for health policy under the new coalition - warned at a press conference that legislators are prepared to introduce sanctions if the system's insurance providers, doctors and the pharma industry will not control rising spending on medicines.

Schmidt made her remarks as she was introducing the 2005 edition of Arzneimittelverordnungs-Report (AVR), the annual prescription drug report compiled by the Drug Commission of the German Medical Association...