The pandemic has doubled public spending on clinical trials, which cost 378 million euros in 2021, the largest convention expense of the National Health Service (SNS), the sector regulator announced Thursday.
“The charges with the consensus clinical analysis sector showed a Annual growth rate of 14% between 2016 and 2021with 378 million euros spent last year on laboratory tests, 109% more than what had been spent in the pre-pandemic year” (2019), found the Health Regulatory Entity (ERS).
After monitoring, the ERS report states that the increase in spending in 2021, the second year of the Covid-19 pandemic, was due to the extension of the conventions for the diagnosis of infected persons by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, using PCR and rapid antigen tests (TRAg) carried out in laboratories and pharmacies.
This cost directly related to the fight against the pandemic has meant that the clinical analysis market in Portugal has become, since 2020, the “highest expense with services arranged with the SNS”, says the document from the national regulatory authority.
ERS also verified that, compared to 2019, the SNS charges for clinical analysis in the subsidized sector increased 32.7% in 2020 and 109% in 2021????????
Regarding the distribution of the total costs of these conventions, the document establishes that the regional health administrations (ARS) of the North and of Lisbon and Vale do Tejo were responsible for most of the costs: 39% and 36%, respectively. –, while ARS in Alentejo and Algarve stood at 3% each.
ERS also adds that the prices charged in the agreed clinical analyzes have not been updated between 2016 and 2021.
“The increase in spending in the contracted sector was due to the extension of the convention for the diagnosis of infected patients by SARS-CoV-2, for the performance of PCR tests and TRAg tests, as well as increases in the volume of laboratory tests in 2021, and no changes in prices between 2016 and 2021 for laboratory tests not related to Covid -19.19″, the document explains.
Regarding the supply available in the country, there are currently 3,368 clinical analysis and pathology establishments registered in the ERS (247 laboratories and 3,121 collection points), of which 3,293 are not public.
Of these non-public establishments, more than 95% have an agreement with the SNS.
“It seems that, in most of the municipalities, there are less than 26 establishments, highlighting the lack of supply (zero establishments) in nine municipalities, six of which are in the Alentejo region, two in the North region and one in the North Region. Center ”, advances the national regulator.
The data now published also indicate that the Alentejo is the region with lower percentage of affiliated establishments (44.5%) and that the Algarve has 100% of its non-public providers with an agreement for clinical analysis.
Regarding the competition, it was “possible to verify that 23 operators represent about 90% of all applications accepted in mainland Portugal in the year 2021”, says ERS.
It also found that around 30% of non-public operators submitted around 90% of all accepted applications in 2021, the year in which an average of 6,054 acts were carried out per 1,000 inhabitants.
“The calculation of the concentration ratio for the four most representative groups in each health region reveals high concentration rates in the Algarve and Alentejo regions and moderate rates in the rest of the regions, revealing a tendency towards an oligopoly structure”, warns the ERS .
Source: Observadora
