Processing time and file exchange

The three-week processing time is necessary because the entry of new products in Vareregisteret goes through several stages involving several agencies. The WHO Collaborating Centre for Drug Statistics Methodology at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health must approve the ATC code, the DDD, the statistics factor etc. for medicines with and without marketing authorisation, natural remedies, traditional and well-established herbal medicinal products and pharmacy produced medicines. The Norwegian Medicines Agency (NoMA) must add any maximum prices, reimbursement information, reimbursement prices, stepped prices, and generic codes for relevant products. Helfo must add reimbursement information and maximum reimbursement prices for medical equipment and foods for special medicinal purposes. The wholesalers must then process the entry in their internal systems to prepare for orders from the pharmacies.

The entries are processed on data files distributed among the agencies. This process takes approx. two weeks. Before sending the data files to the various agencies, the entries must be processed by Farmalogg. If there are any incomplete or unclear entries, we need time to confer with the product submitter before case processing can be completed.

Wholesalers receive information about all products that have been processed, including those with future marketing date. Prescription medicines for human use with marketing authorisation in Norway, are processed when approved prices have been imported from NoMA.