The Netherlands

Abstract

The pharmaceutical sector has been the subject of many discussions in Dutch politics over the past few years. These discussions are largely due to the increasing amount of expensive, new pharmaceuticals entering the market and the strain that this puts on the Dutch healthcare budget. This increases the pressure on the affordability of healthcare in general, with the risk of disadvantaging patients with other needs. This chapter shows that the pharmaceutical markets in the Netherlands are very much in development. The Dutch government and the Dutch Competition Authority are keeping a close eye on these developments and in some cases have taken an active role, with the focus currently on protecting public budgets. It will be interesting to see whether a balance will be found with the need to promote innovation.