Europe is witnessing a wave of medical innovation, with new therapies promising to transform the treatment of cancer, rare diseases, and chronic conditions. Yet for Greek patients, this progress remains largely out of reach.
According to data presented by the Hellenic Association of Pharmaceutical Companies (SFEE) and IQVIA, Greece continues to lag significantly in access to innovative medicines compared with the European average and major markets like Germany, Austria, and Italy.
The Patients W.A.I.T. Indicator 2025 study by EFPIA and IQVIA reveals that only 69 of 168 new medicines approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) between 2021 and 2024 have reached Greece. Of these, just 36 are fully accessible through the reimbursement system; the rest are available only via restrictive procedures such as IFET and electronic pre-approval systems. This means Greek patients have unhindered access to only one in five innovative medicines from the past four years, limited access to another one in five, and no access to the remaining three out of five.
A second study examining 214 new innovative medicines approved by the EMA between 2022 and 2025 confirms the trend: only 42—around 20%—are currently available on the Greek market.
Widening Gap with Europe
Delays are also severe. It takes an average of 641 days—almost 21 months—from European approval until a medicine is reimbursed in Greece, a marginal improvement from 654 days in the previous study but still far below the European average. In Germany, access takes just 158 days; in Italy, 441 days; in Austria, 363 days.
Greece's overall availability rate for new medicines stands at 41%, compared with a European average of 45%. Germany achieves 93%, Austria 85%, and Italy 79%. The situation is worsening: the new IQVIA study records a clear decline in pharmaceutical companies' willingness to launch innovative medicines in Greece. Of 131 new innovative medicines without a price in Greece, 101 are estimated never to be launched, based on companies' own responses. Almost half of the innovative medicines already priced in Greece are not expected to be submitted for reimbursement.
“We are victims of the Memoranda,” SFEE Director General Michalis Cheimonas told Euronews. “Back then we cut public expenditure and now we are paying the price for that very decision.”
The companies attribute their caution to the financial environment, particularly high compulsory returns (clawback and rebates), which make Greece less attractive for introducing new treatments. These strict measures are a legacy of the debt crisis, when excessive pharmaceutical spending—often due to fraud or corruption—led to austerity-driven cuts.
The share of medicines estimated not to be placed on the market has risen from 49% in 2021-2024 to 62% for 2022-2025. The greatest difficulties are in specialized categories like orphan drugs and combination therapies, where the availability rate in Greece has collapsed to 30% from 57%.
SFEE president Olympios Papadimitriou emphasized the human cost: “Some people suffering from serious chronic conditions, such as various types of cancer, blood disorders, or rare diseases, may not have access to the most appropriate treatment. Each medicine works for certain people. It is important that doctors have a wider range of therapeutic options.”
The situation echoes broader challenges across Europe. As noted in Europe's Medicine Access Gap, Romanian patients wait over three years for new drugs, highlighting systemic issues in smaller EU markets. Meanwhile, Greece's household saving rates remain negative, as reported in Household Saving Rates Across Europe, reflecting ongoing economic strain.
SFEE is calling for a clear, transparent framework for pharmaceutical spending over the next three years, with two pillars: redefining public pharmaceutical expenditure to meet citizens' needs, and using digital tools to improve efficiency. Without such reforms, the gap between Greek patients and innovative treatments is likely to widen further.
