Massacre with drug funds/ Ministry of Health gives 8.5 million euros to “Rejsi Farma” without competition! Predetermined tender

2025-02-13 22:15:00, Denoncim CNA

Massacre with drug funds/ Ministry of Health gives 8.5 million euros to

The Ministry of Health and Social Protection and the pharmaceutical company Rejsi Farma at the end of last year appear to have been involved in a public procurement procedure, for which there are strong suspicions of a predetermined winner.

8.5 million euros have been spent from the state budget on just 4 medications that serve a very small number of patients.

While every day patients hospitalized at the Mother Teresa University Hospital Center face a lack of basic medications and are forced to go to pharmacies outside the hospital to buy even 1 thermometer or Ventolin aerosol, the Ministry of Health is holding a dubious tender.

The Ministry of Health at the end of 2024 carried out 15 tenders worth 9.3 million euros for the purchase of medicines, and in 4 of them the same company, Rejsi Farma, was declared the winner without competition.

This procedure was published in the Public Procurement Agency on December 2, 2024 and has a closing date of January 6, 2025. Its purpose was the purchase of hospital drugs for the treatment of second-line tumor diseases, genetic diseases, blood diseases, etc.

This tender was divided into 15 lots and the winners were announced on February 10, 2025. The budget made available by the Ministry of Health for the purchase of these drugs of particular therapeutic and innovative importance, according to the ministry, was 9.3 million euros excluding VAT.

But the items with the highest value were concentrated in only 4 lots, lots no. 5, 6, 7 and 8, which in total amount to 8.5 million euros excluding VAT only for the purchase of 4 medications, which will serve a very small number of patients.

The procedure for these lots is red flagged. So all 4 lots carry the red flag, which means that the procurement was conducted with a single competitor.

The only competitor that participated in this competition announced by the Ministry of Health and that won over 90% of the budget that this ministry made available to the University Hospital Center to cover its needs with medications, was the company Rejsi Farma. This company will supply the University Hospital Center for a period of 2 years. These 4 lots won by Rejsi Farma without other competitors, were 8.5 million euros. For the other 11 lots, the budget made available by the ministry for the purchase of medications that the wards of the University Hospital Center need is around 800 thousand euros excluding VAT.

But what drugs are they, why are they so expensive, and how many patients will benefit from this tender conducted by the Ministry of Health?

The ministry justifies itself by saying that the number of patients who benefit from treatment from this tender refers to the request and argumentation from the relevant services at the hospital centers.

The ministry says that this is a framework agreement, i.e. an agreement between an authority and one or more economic operators, but in the case of the tendering of these 4 lots, the only competitor was Rejsi Farma, which in all cases offered about 98% of the limit fund.

But were there less expensive alternatives to these medications?

Lot 5 for the drug Ixazomib, was tendered with a fund of 5.7 million euros or 563 million and 536 thousand lekë. It is with a red flag and the limit fund was 563 million and 536 thousand lekë. The only one in this tender was Rejsi Farma, which was declared the winner with its bid of 557 million and 707 thousand lekë, or 99% of the limit value. This drug will serve only 50 patients

According to the Ministry of Health, this drug, Ixazomib 2.3 mg, was requested by the Hematology Service and confirmed by the QSUNT Directorate, for the treatment of malignant hemopathies. It is a second-line drug, i.e. therapy used in cases where first-line therapy has not worked.

It is used in the treatment of multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer. So this drug is needed for patients who have failed the first line of treatment or have a relapse of the disease.

The Ministry acknowledges that hospital centers have a drug that can be used to treat both lines of the disease. But it has taken measures for patients who have not improved from the current therapy or who have suffered a relapse of the disease. This drug, which costs the state budget 557 million lekë, can cover the needs of about 50 patients per year.

Lot 6 was tendered for the purchase of the drug Risdiplam. This lot is also red flagged, won again by Rejsi Farma as the only competitor. The limit fund was 38 million and 863 thousand lekë, Rejsi Farma offered 38 million and 797 thousand lekë, almost as much as the limit fund.

This medication is used in patients suffering from muscular atrophy and according to the ministry, 2 patients require this treatment.

Lot 8, the drug Lanadelumab, which was tendered with a fund of approximately 1 million euros or 106 million and 153 thousand lekë excluding VAT. It was won again by Rejsi Farma with its bid very close to the limit fund. Rejsi Farma offered 90 million and 370 thousand lekë excluding VAT.

This medication is used to treat patients suffering from hereditary angioderma.

The Ministry of Health seems to justify itself by saying that this drug was requested by the Allergology and Clinical Immunology service and is used for the long-term prevention of hereditary angioderma attacks, but does not provide any comment on the current number of patients who benefit from this medication.

Currently in Albania there are only 30 patients diagnosed with hereditary angioderma and only 3 patients benefit from this treatment, which has cost the state budget around 1 million euros excluding VAT.

The show Fiks Fare requested a response from the Medicines and Medical Devices Commission on the registration of these medications in the Republic of Albania and which companies have a patent for Albania. Fiks also sent a request to the Ministry of Health and Social Protection regarding the price at which these medications are imported into the Republic of Albania, and whether this is the first time that the ministry has tendered these medications? Fiks's next question to the ministry was whether the winner, Rejsi Farma, is the only company that has brought these medications even earlier. But to date, none of these institutions has responded.

Fiksi journalists also knocked on the QSUNT directorate to learn more about the list of drugs that the heads of services have compiled, since the ministry had based the tender on these lists. But here too, the questions remain unanswered.

Fiksi also contacted the winner of the tender, Rejsi Farma. Its representatives admit that they are the only ones on the Albanian market who have the patents from the manufacturing companies for the 4 tendered medications.

So the ministry announced a tender procedure inviting operators to participate, while the only operator authorized in Albania to import the tendered medicines was Rejsi Farma. Thus making it the predetermined winner. /top-channel.tv