Price Calculation at the Pharmacy from Scratch
Official titleCommuniqué on the Pricing of Medicinal Products for Human Use
The Ministry of Health has issued a new communiqué that completely rewrites the procedures and principles regarding the pricing of medicinal products for human use. The communiqué restructures the euro cents, reference country tracking, and price brackets for equivalent drugs used in determining drug prices.
Before
The date 1987 was used as the basis for price-protected products, and a more fixed rate was applied to equivalent products.
After
The price protection threshold has been moved to 2000; tiered pricing at 80%-75%-70% and current euro cent adjustments have been introduced for equivalent drugs.
Details of the Regulation
This communiqué details the mechanisms for the “Periodic Euro Value” and “Actual Source Price” that will be used as the basis for calculating drug prices in Türkiye. France, Spain, Italy, Portugal, and Greece have been designated as source countries, and the ex-factory prices of drugs are to be normalized using the lowest values in these countries. In particular, the process for reflecting exchange rate changes in price lists and the working principles of the Price Evaluation Commission have been updated.
A new tiered pricing model is being introduced for the market entry of equivalent drugs (generics). Depending on the time of the market entry of the first equivalent product, prices will be tiered over successive years at rates of 80%, 75%, and 70%. In addition, the date used as the basis for the definition of a “Price-Protected Product” has been updated to 1/1/2000, and the scope of products that may benefit from pricing advantages due to their market entry before this date has been expanded.
The regulation contains exceptional pricing rules for special categories such as blood products, orphan drugs, vaccines, medical formulas, and biosimilar products. The profit margins of wholesalers and pharmacists have been tied to specific brackets, and it has been clarified that Drug Tracking System (İTS) data will serve as the basis for stock and market availability controls. Furthermore, it has been emphasized that those who make false declarations or fail to notify on time will be held responsible for returning any unfair gains they obtain.
Questions You Might Have
- Which countries’ drug prices serve as references for Türkiye?
- France, Spain, Italy, Portugal, and Greece are the principal reference countries.
- Why can the prices of older drugs change?
- Since the price protection threshold has been moved from 1987 to 2000, many drugs released before 2000 will now be considered under the “price-protected” status with greater advantage.
- How often is the drug price list updated?
- It is announced every Friday and enters into force on the following Tuesday.
Key Terms
- Gerçek Kaynak Fiyat
- The official ex-factory price, exclusive of value added tax (VAT) and discounts, in the source countries.
- Dönemsel Avro Değeri
- The fixed exchange rate used in drug pricing, calculated by multiplying the Central Bank’s annual average exchange rates by a specified adjustment coefficient.
- Barem Altı Ürün
- Products that remain below a specified price ceiling and whose profit margins are differentiated.
Affected Sectors
- Pharmaceuticals and pharmacy
- Healthcare services
- Logistics and warehousing
- Foreign trade
Where we posted this
Follow Turkish legal developments
REGAS analyzed all 38 items in the Official Gazette of 29 August 2026; we published only 3 of them here.
REGAS summarizes every change in the Turkish Official Gazette in plain language and notifies you.
The REGAS app is currently Turkish-only. If you would like English in the app, the best way to make it happen is to support the developer: get the app and just say so.
REGAS Commentary
This regulation makes the drug pricing system more dynamic and data-driven. From the perspective of citizens, while applying price protection to pre-2000 drugs may increase the availability of some older drugs on the market, more systematic updates to euro cents will lead to regular changes in drug prices. Incentives for equivalent drugs, on the other hand, aim to support domestic production and affordable alternatives.