Spending on specialist medicines soared 9% to over €2bn in 2017 and that growth is set to continue, the Dutch health authority NZa said on Thursday.

Although insurance companies and hospitals are managing to keep some prices down, the increase in patient numbers and the discovery of new drugs are driving up costs. Nearly 9% of the total spending on specialist care in 2017 was due to expensive drugs, the NZa said.

The 23 most expensive drugs on the list cost an average of €80,000 per year per patient. The three drugs accounting for most of the high spending are used to treat rheumatism.