“A humanitarian emergency”: pharmaceutical industry regarding the Nueva EPS crisis
The Association of Research and Development Pharmaceutical Laboratories (Afidro) launched an urgent call to President Gustavo Petro's Government and oversight bodies due to the accelerated financial deterioration of Nueva EPS. According to the guild, this situation is directly affecting millions of patients in the country, who face barriers to accessing treatments and health services.
TL;DR
- Afidro calls for urgent government action regarding the financial deterioration of Nueva EPS.
- Nueva EPS's debt increased by 198% from $5.42 trillion to $21.37 trillion between December 2022 and March 2025.
- The company has a patrimonial deficit of $6.25 trillion as of March 2025.
- 95 healthcare providers have initiated embargoes totaling over $2 trillion due to non-payment.
- User complaints to the Ombudsman's Office increased by 107% in 2025.
- Afidro attributes the crisis to a lack of recognition of the sector's needs and delays in payments from Adres, particularly for maximum budgets.
- Maximum budgets are state funds for non-PBS medications, treatments, and technologies.
- A report from the Attorney General's Office indicated that services costs exceeded income after Nueva EPS's intervention in April 2024.
- Afidro proposes a Technical Emergency Committee, direct Adres resource flows, and a pharmaceutical contingency plan.