Reimbursement

Positive list

In Luxembourg, medicinal products dispensed in public pharmacies are reimbursed only if they are on the 'positive' list of medicinal products published in the Mémorial.

To qualify for entry on the positive list, a medicinal product must have been granted a marketing authorisation, its public price must have been set, and an application for its listing must have been filed.

All medicinal products on the positive list are covered by the health insurance system.

The medicinal products on the positive list are divided into three classes, each of which is assigned one of the following reimbursement rates:

• The reduced reimbursement rate (40 %). This rate applies to medicinal products that are of moderate interest in common medical practice, and which are used to treat symptoms of benign pathologies, save in exceptional circumstances.
• The normal reimbursement rate (80 %). This rate applies to all medicinal products on the positive list for which another rate is not provided for in the statutes of the National Health Fund (Caisse nationale de santé - CNS).
• The preferential reimbursement rate (100 %). This rate applies to medicinal products that (i) are used for a specific therapeutic indication, (ii) contain only one active ingredient, (iii) are irreplaceable or of vital interest in the treatment of particularly serious or chronic pathologies, and (iv) are likely to require an inappropriate contribution on the part of patients to cover their cost. To be listed in this class, a medicinal product must satisfy all four conditions.

Medical prescriptions

Medicinal products are prescribed in accordance with the principle that only one prescription may be written up per patient and per consultation, save in exceptional circumstances.

As a general rule, prescriptions are valid for 3 months from the prescription date, unless specified otherwise.

If a prescription specifies that a medicinal product is to be dispensed in several instalments, the final instalment must be dispensed no later than 6 months after the first.

Medical prescriptions must include the following information:

• the name of the medicinal product;
• the dose and units (pills, drops, suppositories, vials, etc.);
• the duration of treatment (no more than 6 months);
• and, if necessary, the method of administration (oral or otherwise).

Third-party payer system

Anyone who is covered by Luxembourg's health insurance system will also be covered by the third-party payer system, provided they produce a prescription and their social security card.

This means that, when the medicinal product is dispensed, the person will only pay the difference between the public price of the medicinal product and the amount reimbursed by the health insurance system.

In exchange for the original prescription (or a certified copy of the original prescription), the pharmacist will dispense the medicinal product(s) specified in the prescription, and keep the prescription.