In brief

  • The National Catalogue of medicine prices is being updated again: 124 entries amended, 65 removed and 44 added, 233 entries touched in total.
  • The prices in Canamed remain valid until 31 March 2027, except for medicinal products for which the annex sets a different date.
  • The new prices apply from 1 August 2026. The full list was published separately, in Official Gazette of Romania (Monitorul Oficial) No 611 bis.
Act: MS Order No 930/2026
Published: Official Gazette of Romania No 611 of 27 July 2026
In force: 1 August 2026

From 1 August 2026, the maximum prices of 233 entries in the National Catalogue of medicinal products are changing. The Ministry of Health has amended Order No 5,994/2024, the act that approves the maximum prices of human-use medicinal products valid in Romania. This is the second major update of the catalogue this year, after the one through which prices for ten new medicines, mostly oncology drugs, entered the National Catalogue. Order No 930 of 22 July 2026 was published in Official Gazette of Romania No 611 of 27 July 2026.

The National Catalogue of prices for medicinal products authorised for marketing in Romania, known as Canamed, sets the price ceiling that may be charged by marketing authorisation holders, wholesale distributors and healthcare service providers in a contractual relationship with the Ministry of Health or with the health insurance houses.

The order has only two articles, but its weight lies in the annex. That was published separately, in Official Gazette of Romania No 611 bis of the same day, and runs to 41 pages of tables with brand names, pharmaceutical forms, strengths, manufacturers, pack sizes, ATC codes and three price levels: ex-factory price, maximum wholesale price excluding VAT and maximum retail price including VAT.

What it changes in practice

The first effect is the new validity deadline. Article 4 of the 2024 order has been rewritten: the prices of the medicinal products included in Canamed are valid until 31 March 2027, except for medicinal products for which Annex No 1 mentions a different validity date for the maximum prices.

The second effect is the most concrete one. In Annex No 1, 124 entries are amended and receive new prices, while 65 entries are repealed, meaning they leave the catalogue. These are figures that directly affect pharmacies, distributors and the patients who buy those products.

The third effect is the arrival of new products. After entry 7,108, 39 new entries are introduced, numbered from 7,109 to 7,147. Among them are high-value innovative treatments, with retail prices in the order of thousands of lei per pack.

The fourth effect concerns Annex No 2, the one on reference prices. Two new entries, 515 and 516, are added to List A, and three new entries, from 1,380 to 1,382, to List B. Reference prices matter for how much the insurance house reimburses and, by extension, for how much the patient pays out of pocket.

The fifth effect is one of timing. The order enters into force on 1 August 2026, so pharmacies and distributors had five days from publication to update their systems.

What has changed compared with the previous situation

Structurally, nothing changes. The mechanism remains the one set out in Order No 5,994/2024, and the calculation method and the approval procedure for maximum prices remain those laid down in Order of the Minister of Health No 368/2017. Only the content of the lists and the deadline until which the prices are valid change.

Some of the new prices are approved for a short term, not until the general deadline. The annex contains entries with a note that the prices are approved for a period of eight months, under Article 4 of the rules approved by Order No 368/2017, with their own validity dates, for example 31 January 2027. That is why the new Article 4 contains the exception clause.

The removal of 65 entries is the least discussed part, but the most important one for the patient. A medicinal product that leaves Canamed no longer has an approved maximum price for the contractual circuit, which in practice means it can no longer be used or sold in that circuit until a new price approval.

The act fits into an update rhythm that has become frequent. The catalogue is amended several times a year, and the reimbursement lists are updated in parallel, as happened when the Ministry of Health and CNAS changed the reimbursement prices for medicines in the national health programmes.

The legal basis remains the same: Article 890 of Law No 95/2006 on healthcare reform, which gives the Ministry of Health the power to approve maximum prices, and Article 7(4) of Government Decision No 144/2010 on the organisation and functioning of the ministry.

Advantages and disadvantages

What it improves

  • The arrival of the 39 new entries means access to treatments that until now had no approved price in the contractual circuit.
  • The general validity deadline, 31 March 2027, gives pharmacies and distributors predictability for more than half a year.
  • Updating Annex No 2 at the same time keeps the maximum prices aligned with the reference prices used for reimbursement.
  • The full annex is published officially and can be consulted free of charge, with all three price levels for each entry.

What remains a problem

  • For the patients who were using them, the 65 repealed entries may mean that products they had grown used to disappear from the contractual circuit.
  • The entry into force is tight: five days from publication to update invoicing systems and shelf labels.
  • The annex is not published in the main edition, but in a separate bis edition, which makes it harder to consult for anyone who does not know where to look.
  • The prices approved for only eight months create a second timetable, running alongside the general deadline, which has to be tracked entry by entry.

Practical advice

  1. If you are a pharmacist or a distributor, check the list of the 65 repealed entries before 1 August 2026. Those are the ones leaving the contractual circuit.
  2. Do not assume that all prices are valid until 31 March 2027. Check the validity column in Annex No 1 for each entry, because some expire earlier.
  3. If you are on long-term treatment, ask at the pharmacy whether your product is among the amended or removed entries, so you are not taken by surprise when your prescription is renewed.
  4. Keep in mind the difference between the maximum price and the reference price. The first is the sales ceiling, the second is the basis for calculating the amount reimbursed by the insurance house.
  5. The annex is found in the Official Gazette of Romania edition No 611 bis, not in the ordinary edition. That is the document to consult for any specific check.
  6. For medicines in the national health programmes, check separately the joint orders of the Ministry of Health and the National Health Insurance House, which have their own reimbursement lists.

Frequently asked questions

When do the new prices apply from?
From 1 August 2026. The order was published in Official Gazette of Romania No 611 of 27 July 2026 and expressly sets out this date of entry into force.
How many medicines are affected?
A total of 233 entries: 124 amended and 65 repealed in Annex No 1, 39 new entries also in Annex No 1, plus 5 new entries in Annex No 2, two in List A and three in List B.
What is Canamed?
It is the National Catalogue of prices for medicinal products authorised for marketing in Romania. It sets the maximum prices that may be charged by marketing authorisation holders, wholesale distributors and providers in a contractual relationship with the Ministry of Health or with the health insurance houses.
How long are the prices valid?
As a rule, until 31 March 2027. There are exceptions, though: for medicinal products where Annex No 1 mentions a different date, that date applies, and some prices are approved for only eight months.
Where do I find the full list?
In the annex published separately, in the Official Gazette of Romania, Part I, No 611 bis of 27 July 2026, pages 3-43. The bis edition can be consulted online or bought from the Public Relations Centre of the Official Gazette of Romania.
What does it mean that an entry has been repealed?
That the product concerned leaves the National Catalogue and no longer has an approved maximum price for the contractual circuit, until a possible new price approval.

Original text of the legal act

The text below is reproduced in Romanian, the official form of publication.

The full text, as published in the Official Gazette of Romania

Official Gazette of Romania no. 611 of 27 July 2026 16 pages PDF, 111 KB the act starts on page 16

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This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. For specific situations, consult a licensed attorney or tax advisor.