Archive – Life Sciences (2024)

A draft amendment to the Advertising Regulation Act has recently been published and is now due to be discussed by the Government and Parliament. It proposes a number of changes, including in the area of advertising of medicinal products. The attentive reader will be in for many surprises when readin

Many stakeholders in the medical device market are unaware that the current Advertising Regulation Act prohibits the promotion of medical devices intended solely for use by healthcare professionals (commonly referred to as “hospital” medical devices) to the general public. 

In early October, an amendment to the Health Services Act came into force, which brought a completely new definition of telemedicine – i.e. the provision of health services via information technology. The Ministry of Health has submitted a long-awaited decree to lay down more precise rules for the p

In July, the General Health Insurance Company of the Czech Republic (VZP), the major Czech payor, published updated guidelines for enlisting hospital medical devices in VZP’s product list. In this respect, Jiří Štěrba, Director of the Medical Devices Department of VZP, told Zdravotnický deník that V

In May, the inter-departmental comment procedure concluded for a new act that would regulate reimbursement of prescription medical devices, such as incontinence pads, prostheses, hearing aids, and glucometers, as well as dental products covered under public health insurance. The proposals include tr

We can buy almost everything online. However, we still have to pick up our prescription drugs in person at the pharmacy. Does such a restriction make sense in the digital age?  

The Chamber of Deputies has approved a draft amendment to the Healthcare Services Act promising a major shift in the Czech healthcare sector digitisation. Telemedicine - a modern way of providing healthcare remotely using digital technologies - will finally be legislatively implemented. How will thi

To tackle rising costs and other current needs in public healthcare, the Ministry of Health presented a bill in April to amend the Public Health Insurance Act. Intended to take effect on 1 January 2026, the amendment concerns the regulation of prices and reimbursement of medicinal products and medic

Can medical records also include a subjective assessment of the patient's behaviour? Is the healthcare provider obliged to provide the patient with a copy of his medical records without charging for the costs incurred? In today's post, we will present two judgments dealing with these issues. Their f

An amendment to the Act on Medicinal Products entered into effect as of 1 January 2024, imposing numerous new obligations on marketing authorisation holders, distributors and pharmacies, and expanding the existing powers of administrative authorities. The changes are primarily aimed at ensuring the