Ready for risk sharing? Performance-based agreements as a catalyst of innovative pharmacotherapy

Since health authorities and pharmaceutical companies are risk-averse in the reimbursement process, risk-sharing agreements (RSAs) can be seen as a happy medium for ensuring that the inherent financial and clinical risks of implementing a new innovative treatment are minimized. Although a properly applied RSA lies in the interest of patients, payers and manufacturers, the initial analysis shows that implementation of performance-based RSAs (PBRSAs), tied to measurable health outcomes, faces numerous obstacles in Poland. The article seeks to propose solutions, taking into account the characteristics of PBRSAs in Italy and the United Kingdom. The analysis is in line with the current trend of gradual remodelling of the Polish system towards value-based healthcare. The methods employed include a broad conceptual and exploratory analysis of Polish and foreign literature and legal acts, data acquired from national health data repositories, materials published by pharmaceutical consortia, financial institutions and public authorities engaged in managing the medicine market in Europe.