The Federal Joint Committee (G-BA) has decided on changes for the initial prescription of medical cannabis in Germany. These changes are expected to significantly ease access to cannabis medications.
Three weeks – this is the average time it currently takes for a health insurance company to decide for or against a cannabis therapy in Germany. The initial prescription usually required approval. This waiting period often brings considerable suffering. The patient groups treated with cannabis include people with cancer, multiple sclerosis, or chronic pain. Depending on the health insurance company, 30 to 40 percent of applications were previously rejected. This led to fewer and fewer prescribers being willing to submit applications to health insurance companies. This is set to change now, as specialist doctors with special additional qualifications can decide on their own and no longer need approval for a cannabis prescription:
- With the G-BA decision of July 18, 2024, there are exceptions to the approval requirement.
- The application of the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (KBV) with patient representatives and the G-BA was accepted (seven to six votes against the votes of the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Funds).
- The regulation was initiated as part of the Supply Chain Act (ALBVVG, July 2023) and aims to ensure that THC medications can be prescribed more easily to people who need them – for example, those with serious illnesses.
- Doctors with the necessary professional qualifications can then prescribe medical cannabis without prior approval from health insurance companies.
- According to the application, this affects specialists in the fields of: neurology, psychiatry, oncology, infectious diseases, gynecology, geriatrics, gastroenterology, and general practitioners participating in general outpatient palliative care.
- Required additional training ensures that doctors can best assess cannabis therapy and includes, according to the application, specialized pain therapy, palliative medicine, sleep medicine, social medicine, addiction medicine, drug-based tumor therapy, and geriatrics.
- An evaluation of the regulation was also decided upon, 15 months later (based on the number of prescriptions by specialist groups and applications for cost coverage, recourse, and audit procedures).
Stefan Fritsch
Grünhorn's CEO and physicians welcome the decision
"The regulation is a crucial step to facilitate access to medical cannabis for those who need it," says Stefan Fritsch, CEO of the Grünhorn Group. Grünhorn has been committed to improving the supply of medical cannabis for years and sees the regulation as part of a positive turnaround. "We have experienced firsthand how difficult it often was to obtain necessary treatments. It is all the more important that, following the partial legalization of cannabis in Germany, the regulation for prescribing medical THC-containing products is also simplified. This means less waiting time for patients – and more trust in doctors," says Fritsch.
In some cases, severe hardships are associated with the bureaucracy in the reimbursement process for medical cannabis. As an example, Dr. Lorenz Eberle, a physician, cites a case from his practice: "Many patients cannot afford to pay for their treatment themselves. I think of one of my epilepsy patients, for whom cannabis therapy could achieve very good results, but it was rejected. For such people, it is a great advance when treating doctors are given more trust and can decide without complication." Dr. Eberle continues, "When the doctor prescribes the cannabis medication, the insurance should pay for it. With a diabetes medication, there is no inquiry every time. The planned additional qualifications are effective in ensuring that specialists are demonstrably well-versed in cannabis." When it comes to serious illnesses, waiting is an additional burden. The G-BA decision ensures faster processes and can thus have a significant positive impact on the quality of life for many people with similar stories.
For more information:
Grünhorn Group
www.gruenhorn.de