Economic aspects of the new Spanish laws on pharmaceutical preparations.

In this article, we provide readers with a summary of the main economic features of the recently approved Spanish law regarding pharmaceutical preparations entitled the Law of Guarantees and Rational Use of Pharmaceuticals and Health Products (Law 29/2006 of July 26th). We review information on pricing, reference pricing, promotion of generic drugs, public reimbursement, patients' contributions, and penalties. Other aspects of minor economic relevance such as the information on prices shown in the packs and the transparency on the results of clinical trials irrespective of whether these are positive or not, are not addressed in this paper. We conclude with some observations on the new horizons opened up by this new legal framework. We have not included any detailed references to the new law; we merely wish to comment on certain aspects of its application.