Overview
- Assurance maladie flagged a sustainability risk from high-priced treatments and pressed for tighter pricing rules ahead of this year’s renegotiation of the framework with drugmakers.
- Net reimbursements reached €27.2 billion in 2024, up 7.2% year over year, with overall medicine volumes growing only modestly in recent years.
- Medicines priced above €1,000 account for just 0.5% of dispensed volume yet roughly a third of total outlays, and the average annual cost per patient for innovative drugs was €3,801 versus €161 for older products.
- The tally of therapies costing more than €100,000 per patient per year rose from one in 2015 to 21 in 2025, with ultra-rare-disease drugs such as Bylvay and Myalepta exceeding €1 million per patient before discounts.
- Cancer therapies are a major driver, with Keytruda (€2.1 billion) and Darzalex (€1.05 billion) surpassing €1 billion in 2024 reimbursements as oncology caseloads rise about 3% annually; industry groups argue these medicines deliver essential value.