The total contribution that the pharmaceutical industry has provided for the Bulgarian economy in 2021 is estimated at approximately BGN 2.8 billion or 2.2% of the country's gross domestic product, which is in line with the average level for Europe. These and other data were presented for the first time by Mr. Luka Chichov, Executive Director of IQVIA for Central and Eastern Europe, in a report delivered on May 30, 2023 during an expert meeting "Economic and strategic contribution of pharmaceutical sector in Bulgaria".

The meeting is organized by the representative organizations of the pharmaceutical industry in Bulgaria - the Association of Scientific Research Pharmaceutical Manufacturers in Bulgaria (ARPharM), the Bulgarian Generic Pharmaceutical Association (BGPharmA) and the Bulgarian Association of Wholesalers of Medicines (BATEL), with the support of the Confederation of Employers and industrialists in Bulgaria (KRIB), and in partnership with the American Chamber of Commerce in Bulgaria.

The presented report outlines the essential importance of the pharmaceutical sector for the Bulgarian health care and economy, and the contribution of innovative and generic pharmaceutical companies, wholesalers, retailers and clinical trial companies.

26/05/2023, Sofia

At the regular reporting-election General Assembly of the Association of the Research-based Pharmaceutical Manufacturers in Bulgaria (ARPharM) held on May 18, 2023, a new Chairman of the Management Board was elected.

Todor Kesimov, so far member of the Board, is the new Chairman of ARPharM. He is General manager of "Takeda Bulgaria" EOOD, a financier by education and since 2020 a member of the Board of Directors of the Japan-Bulgaria Business Association.

The sо far Chairman of the Board, Dr. Stamen Bankovski, will take the position of Deputy Chairman. Dr. Boryana Alexieva, Head of Relations with Governmental Structures, Institutions and Patient Organizations at Johnson & Johnson, and Mr. Hesham Sabri, General Manager of Roche Bulgaria, also retain their positions on the Management Board.

During the General Assembly meeting, three new members were elected to join the governing body of the Association. Among them are Mr. Pavel Kolev - Manager of AbbVie for Bulgaria, Mrs. Maria Lukanova - Market Access Manager at Bayer Bulgaria, and Dr. Krum Kasabov - Director of Novo Nordisk for Bulgaria.

20/04/2023, Sofia

The Executive Director of ARPharM delivered the "Evolution of Access to Health in Bulgaria over the last decade" presentation at the ISPOR Bulgaria chapter and ISPOR CEE Chapter 11th Adriatic Congress on Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research with Focus on CEE in Sofia.

In the past decade, access to healthcare in Bulgaria undoubtedly has improved. Public funding has doubled but remains significantly lower than the EU average. Out-of-pocket payments are quite high.

The number of hospital beds, outpatient centers, medical labs and doctors has increased. However, medical care remains unevenly distributed in the country and there is a severe shortage of nurses. Prevention and screening remain at a very low level.

Access to innovative pharmaceutical treatment has also improved. Public funding of pharmaceuticals has more than doubled but also dropped as a percentage of total public health spending due to growing industry's payback.

Bulgaria provides access to only 42 % of the new drugs authorized by EMA between 2014 and 2020 with a delay of more than 2 years following marketing authorization.