Turkey amended the method used by the Social Security Institution, SGK, to calculate reimbursable medicine prices on 3 October 2026. The regulation refines the definitions of the reimbursable unit-price range, internal reference groups and medicine market share; it also makes Medula data central to the assessment. For foreign residents enrolled in Turkey's social-security system, the practical point is narrower than some headlines suggest: the text changes the calculation framework, but it does not publish a new universal patient copayment, remove named medicines from coverage or guarantee that a particular product will be available at every pharmacy.
The 1% threshold concerns the calculation base
A newly listed medicine that has the lowest unit price in its internal reference or equivalent group will initially stay outside the reimbursable-unit-price calculation until it reaches a 1% medicine market ratio. SGK will monitor that ratio monthly. Once the threshold is reached, the product enters the calculation. This is a technical rule for determining the reimbursement band; it is not a rule requiring a patient to pay 1% of a medicine's price.
Very low-volume products can move out — and back in
For the lowest-priced medicines already used in a reference group, the previous five months of data matter. A product that did not reach the 1% ratio in any of those months can be excluded from the unit-price calculation. If later monitoring shows that it reaches 1%, it can be included again. The provision is designed to prevent a rarely supplied product from setting the benchmark while remaining difficult for patients and pharmacies to obtain.
Medula data replaces a looser market-share reference
Several provisions now refer to Medula data instead of general market-share information. Medula is SGK's electronic health and reimbursement system, so the change ties the assessment more directly to claims and dispensing records available to the institution. The regulation also broadens the working definition of an internal reference group and adjusts the relevant commissions' decision and advisory functions.
What the regulation does not decide
The Official Gazette text does not name a medicine that has lost reimbursement, set a new pharmacy retail price, alter every prescription contribution rate or extend SGK coverage to people who are not insured. Pricing, reimbursement eligibility, stock availability and a patient's insurance status remain separate questions. A lower reference amount can affect the difference payable for a specific brand, but the actual result must be checked against the current medicine, prescription and entitlement record.
A practical check for international residents
At the pharmacy, compare the active ingredient, strength, dosage form and pack size, not only the brand. Ask whether the medicine is reimbursed for the diagnosis and prescription at hand, whether an equivalent is available and what amount remains payable. Keep the e-prescription number and receipt. If the result appears inconsistent, first ask the pharmacy to verify the Medula response and then use SGK's official contact channels; a social-media post is not evidence that a medicine has been removed from coverage.
Turkey Compass assessment
Confirmed: the revised definitions, the 1% market-ratio test, five-month monitoring and use of Medula data took effect on publication on 3 October. Not confirmed by this regulation: a blanket rise in pharmacy prices, a universal new patient fee or an immediate coverage cancellation for a named product. The safest reading is procedural: SGK has changed how products influence the reimbursement benchmark, while individual patient cost still depends on the current official record.