until health insurers had to reimburse the full cost of all drugs covered by social health insurance up to a legally determined reimbursement limit as a result generic drug prices were all close to the reimbursement limit allowing pharmacies to make large profits attempts from the government to claw back part of the discounts offered to pharmacists were only marginally successful boonen et al in parallel health insurers started to issue tenders for contracts to supply several highvolume generic drugs