The 2018 annual report of the Comité Economique de Produits de Santé (CEPS), provides valuable insights into France’s stance on innovative pricing schemes for drugs. CEPS has published the annual value of rebates, split by type of pricing scheme.

In 2018, simple discounts, price-volume agreements (PVA) and total budget caps accounted for 85% of total rebates. Schemes with more complex information needs, including pay for performance and patient-level cost caps, were less than 10% of total rebate value.

CEPS is highly sceptical of the role of innovative pricing schemes in addressing uncertainty.

• After some experimentation, only 2 pay-for-performance contracts remain in place, with no new contracts agreed in 2018.
• Conditional pricing schemes have not seen their favourable hypotheses verified and have produced contractual disputes, and have not been used since 2016.
• For indication-based pricing, PVA and budget caps are preferred over schemes with indication-level tracking.

A clear message emerges for manufacturers looking to use innovative pricing to address uncertainty over the value and budget impact of new health technology; be prepared to face a sceptical audience in France.

https://solidarites-sante.gouv.fr/IMG/pdf/ceps_rapport_d_activite_2018_20191122.pdf