Prices for Medicines in Panama are Being Set by an Established Working Group.

With the participation of health sector authorities and representatives from various state institutions, the working group for the operation of the National System of Reference Prices for Medicines (SINPREM) was established, an inter-institutional initiative aimed at establishing common criteria for the public acquisition of medicines in Panama.

Dr. Marcos Young, national executive director of Health Services and Benefits at the Social Security Fund (CSS), highlighted the importance of this first session as a starting point for coordinating institutional efforts in the acquisition of medicines.

He explained that unifying criteria and consolidating the purchasing needs of the Ministry of Health and the Social Security Fund would allow them to take advantage of economies of scale, with the purpose of obtaining better prices in the acquisition processes, especially due to the possibility of establishing unique reference prices for public tenders in 2027.

For the CSS, the participation of institutions linked to logistics, distribution and consumer protection is important, especially to address the difficulties faced by some regions of the country in accessing medicines.

“We have regions, for example, Bocas del Toro, where access to medicines for the insured is complicated,” he stated.

In that regard, he emphasized that collaboration with the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the Ministry of Commerce and Industries, and the Consumer Protection and Competition Authority (Acodeco) will allow for the analysis of strategies to encourage the participation of suppliers and improve the logistical conditions of distribution.