2023-12-23 08:36:21
Around fifty medications for children with cancer that have not been reimbursed until now will be reimbursed from January 1, Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke (Vooruit) announced on Saturday. An initial budget of 3.2 million euros is planned for this purpose.
The drugs in question are called “off label” because the pharmaceutical industry is not motivated to make the necessary developments to have their use recognized in children, explains the minister’s office. Consequently, many children with cancer encountered difficulties in accessing certain essential medicines, although they were part of the standard treatment protocol, since they were not reimbursed, KickCancer lamented last year, a foundation whose mission is to cure all children suffering from this disease.
“Each year, around one child in four with cancer in Belgium is affected by non-reimbursement of their medications. This figure is unacceptably too high! I am therefore particularly pleased that a structural solution has been found to this problem. Children with cancer will be able to access standard treatments much more easily,” rejoices the founder of KickCancer, Delphine Heenen.
Concretely, in an agreement which has just been concluded and which comes into force in January, an annex refers to the majority of medicines not reimbursed to date and which will be from January 1 (a little over fifty), specifies the office of the Minister of Health.
The convention has also set up a steering committee which will meet annually to monitor its application, which will allow oncologists and patients to possibly complete this list of medications.
Free unlimited access to Showbytes? Which can!
Log in or create an account and never miss anything from the stars.
Yes, I want free unlimited access
1703331767
#fifty #medications #children #cancer #reimbursed #Health
