German health minister rules out pharma exemption from cost‑cutting reforms

Germany’s health minister Nina Warken said that drugmakers will not be exempt from upcoming cost‑cutting legislation aimed at capping rising expenses in the statutory health‑insurance system. “Every sector must play its part in this reform,” she told the Funke newspaper group.

Warken emphasized that Germany still offers fast access to innovative medicines and remains attractive for the pharmaceutical industry. U.S. firm Eli Lilly and its German partner Boehringer Ingelheim announced plans to slash investments in the country, while Pfizer’s CEO Albert Bourla said the company is reviewing the timing and scope of its German investments.