The decree amends the framework established by Decree No. 2.13.852 of Dec. 18, 2013, which governs the conditions and procedures for determining the public selling price of medicines in Morocco. The reform changes several elements of the pricing mechanism used for medicines sold on the Moroccan market.
For originator medicines, the new system uses the lowest price recorded in a group of reference countries when determining the Moroccan public selling price, replacing the previous calculation based on the average price in those markets. The countries used as references are Saudi Arabia, Belgium, Spain, France, Portugal and Turkey.
The decree also changes the calculation of prices for imported medicines. The markup used in the calculation is reduced from 10% to 2.5%, subject to the amount of customs duties actually paid.
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The rules for generic and biosimilar medicines are also revised. Their prices will be determined through reductions applied to the reference price of the corresponding originator medicine, under the conditions established by the new decree.
Another provision concerns medicines whose public selling price exceeds 300 dirhams. Their prices will be subject to review based on the lowest price recorded in the reference countries. The decree also reduces the interval for regular price reviews from five years to three years.
The reform also provides for a review of medicines already marketed in Morocco. According to reporting on the final version of the decree, this review is to be carried out within 12 months of the decree’s entry into force, bringing existing medicines into the revised pricing framework.
The Health Ministry has said the reform is intended to improve access to medicines by reducing prices and patients’ out-of-pocket costs, while also controlling pharmaceutical spending under mandatory health insurance and strengthening the competitiveness of Morocco’s pharmaceutical industry.
The new rules follow more than a decade under the previous pricing framework, which was introduced in 2013. The government had argued that the system needed to be updated in light of changes in Morocco’s pharmaceutical market and the expansion of mandatory health insurance.
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The reform had also been the subject of debate before its adoption. The government postponed consideration of the decree in early July before adopting it on July 22. Pharmacists’ organizations subsequently voiced concerns about aspects of the new pricing system.
With its publication in the Official Gazette on Aug. 6, the reform has now moved from the stage of government debate and adoption to implementation, with the new rules set to determine how medicine prices are calculated and reviewed in Morocco.
