Experts criticise new German law for favouring drug companies

A new law on approving drugs for reimbursement by German insurance companies currently being debated in parliament could put the safety of patients at risk, experts have warned.

The law would substantially weaken the role of the German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG), the German equivalent of the UK National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, and lead to inefficient and dangerous drugs being approved, say experts.

An amendment to the law proposed by the governing coalition of the Christian Democrats and the liberal Free Democratic Party says that all new …