Self-medication in Greece: the financial impact from expanding the OTC market

OBJECTIVES: To assess the financial impact of self-medication enhancement through a potential expansion of the over-the-counter (OTC) drug list in Greece. METHODS: An analysis consisting of two scenarios was conducted. The first scenario estimated the financial effects of hypothetically switching 5% of the volume of the total sales of reimbursed drugs in Greece to OTC, while the second scenario estimated the effects of switching to OTC the total sales volume of a set of active substances (which are currently reimbursed), facilitated by a consensus panel meeting. The analysis was conducted from the third-party payer, individual and societal perspectives. Data and costs refer to the year 2019. KEY FINDINGS: Switching 5% of the volume of the total sales of reimbursed drugs to OTC was estimated to lead to total annual savings of 227.57 million euros. The annual savings from the third-party payer, individual and societal perspectives were estimated at 97.06 million euros, 91.81 million euros and 38.69 million euros, respectively. Switching the total sales volume of the reimbursed drugs of the active substances which emerged from the consensus panel meeting was estimated to lead to total annual savings of 567.57 million euros. The annual savings for the third-party payer, individuals and society were estimated at 232.91 million euros, 241.01 million euros and 93.65 million euros, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Although the present analysis is model-based, and thus did not incorporate some potentially significant parameters, it demonstrated the financial savings which a potential expansion of the OTC drug list could produce for the third-party payer, individuals and society in Greece.