Reimbursement and prices of cannabis products in the pilot programme
Reimbursement for products in the pilot programme
A special reimbursement scheme exists for medicinal cannabis products in the four-year pilot programme.
Under this scheme, people in Denmark are reimbursed 50% of the cost of cannabis products in the pilot programme. A maximum of DKK 10,000 can be reimbursed for cannabis products in the pilot programme in a one-year period. The reimbursement amount is deducted automatically when the product is purchased at the pharmacy.
People who have been granted reimbursement for the terminally ill receive full reimbursement for products in the pilot programme.
The reimbursement thresholds and rates for purchases of medicinal cannabis are as follows:
| Total expenditure per reimbursement period (12 months) | Reimbursement |
Patient's co-payment |
| 0 - 20.000 kr. | 50 % | Up til 10.000 kr. |
| 20.000 kr. - | 0 % | Full price of the product |
| For terminally ill patients | 100 % | No co-payment |
Please note that reimbursement for products in the pilot programme is calculated separately from the reimbursement of other medicines.
The special reimbursement scheme was first introduced on 1 January 2019, covering products purchased in 2018 until end-2021. The special reimbursement scheme was extended on 1 January 2022 for purchases of products in the pilot programme made up until 31 December 2025.
Prices of cannabis products in the pilot programme
The prices of cannabis products in the pilot programme are set freely. This means that the price of a cannabis product is determined by the company that sells the cannabis product to the pharmacies. The Danish Medicines Agency has no influence on the pricing of cannabis products; they are determined by the companies and no one else.
The prices of cannabis products are set for periods of 14 days, and the same price applies in every pharmacy in Denmark. The price is set every fortnight when the companies notify price changes, if any, to the Danish Medicines Agency.
The Danish Medicines Agency informs pharmacies, doctors and the public of the applicable prices on the website www.medicinpriser.dk (click on one of the products under the heading “Cannabis product” to see the price)
A similar system applies to the majority of authorised prescription-only medicines in Denmark.
Free pricing and prices that change every fortnight stimulate competition in the market, and pharmaceutical prices in Denmark may vary as a result.
The companies decide which cannabis products they want to sell in Denmark and hence the products made available to prescribers. It therefore happens that some types of cannabis products are sold only by a single or a few companies. This could limit competition in the area and further influence price development.