No additional Vitamin D advice from Zorginstituut before December 2021

The Package Advisory Committee (ACP) within Zorginstituut wants to consider the advice in more detail

Before December 2021, Zorginstituut will not issue any additional vitamin D advice to the Department of Health, Welfare and Sports (VWS). The advisory body reports this on its website. The Package Advisory Committee (ACP) within Zorginstituut wants to look at the advice in more detail. In response to input from the KNMP, among other things, the ACP wants to further discuss the consequences of the package recommendation, among other things, accessibility and compliance with vitamin D therapy. To evaluate the ACP. Follow-up meeting

In a draft recommendation, Zorginstituut indicated that from now on it would only be recompensated for vitamin D in patients with cystic fibrosis or in patients with established vitamin D deficiency. In a consultation round, the KNMP expressed written and oral objections to this draft advice. The pharmacists’ organization clarified that the proposed additional package measures for vitamin D may equitably result in a net saving, rather than a further increase in premium payer costs. In addition, it was stated that the measures are expected to lead to a further increase in social and economic health inequalities. The mean number of vitamin D distributions for each individual ranged from 0.50 in neighborhoods with the highest SES score to 0.87 in neighborhoods with the lowest SES score. Accordingly, the ACP advised pharmacists to reconsider the additional advice.

In response, the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group stated that it needed further discussion on the above points. The committee has asked Zorginstituut to prepare a follow-up consultation on this matter at a later meeting later this year. KNMP will continue to monitor this discussion and, when necessary, feed it with arguments. Based on the results of this consultation, the ACP lays out advice on vitamin D for later. Postponing this advice, Zorginstituut decided to amend planning for the issuance of this advice to the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sports. In any case, this will not be before December 2021.

Previously, former Minister Schippers (VWS) adopted Health Care Institute advice from 2016 to stop reimbursing paracetamol and vitamins and minerals also available over the counter, for example, from the pharmacy or supermarket, from the basic package. At the time, Vitamin D capsules were not available because an over-the-counter alternative was not available. In 2020, research by NIVEL showed that substitution has occurred among users in practice. As a result, the expected savings with the bundle rule were not realized. This led the Department of Health, Welfare and Sports (VWS) to request an additional package of advice on vitamin D from the National Institute of Health Care.