[Increases in pharmaceutical expenditures of PHI by monoclonal antibodies]

The dynamics of one of the most innovative segments of health care and its impact on pharmaceutical expenditure of private health insurance (PHI) is examined on the basis of drug prescription data from private health insurance companies. The study shows that the increase in pharmaceutical expenditure can be explained partly by the new treatment possibilities available with monoclonal antibodies. The per capita expenditure on drugs with monoclonal antibodies increased by 255% from 2006 to 2010 in private health insurance, while the corresponding expenditure of all pharmaceuticals has risen by only 19% in the same period. In the coming years, growth on this scale will be a challenge for all payers in the health system.