Purchasing medicines for the public sector: Evaluation of the performance of centralised procurement in Portugal.

Objective: The study aimed to evaluate centralised procurement of medicines (CPM) in Portugal.

Methods: Data were collected through different methods, including a review of the literature and (procurement) documents and an analysis of selected bids. Thirty-seven face-to-face interviews with representatives of public authorities, users (hospitals and regional health administrations), patient associations and pharmaceutical industry were held in Portugal in Q1/2020.

Results: CPM has contributed to improved transparency in processes and governance, to increased equity in access to medicines across the country and to lower workload for some users. The findings of the impact on medicine prices and availability are mixed. The benefits of CPM are undermined by some gaps: Lengthy, bureaucratic processes have resulted in delayed availability of medicines at the beginning of a year and in coping strategies of hospitals such as parallel individual procurements. The list of active ingredients under CPM has not been updated since 2016. The procurement agency does not routinely perform market consultations. Key performance indicators for CPM are lacking.

Conclusions: Portuguese policy-makers are urged to develop an updated procurement strategy to provide guidance and clarity on the objectives of CPM, the role of the procurement agency and further authorities and key performance indicators.