Doctors: "And the Region reimburses them at full price to pharmacists" – "In this way we enrich ourselves on the health of citizens"
"The Region reimburses pharmacists the full price of medicines that they buy with illegal discounts, even 90 percent on the price of the box, almost three times the permitted ones". The family doctors, through their most representative union, the Fimmg, denounce "the damage to the coffers of the Region and the insult to the health of citizens, who risk consuming generic drugs, those which, with expired patents, have the same efficacy therapeutic than their counterparts, costing 40 percent less». They do it with their regional secretary, Pier Luigi Bartoletti: «The resolution of the regional council which, to save money, encourages the use of equivalent medicines is commendable. But, be careful: without controls on wild discounts, pharmacists are enriched on the health of citizens ».
As? «Through the widespread practice of replacing the "generic" prescribed by the family doctor with another blessed with amazing discounts. We are dealing with dizzying turnovers, which can be estimated in millions of euros». Again Bartoletti: "It will certainly be a "commercial merit" of the pharmacists to have made money on the out-of-control discounts of the generics industries, but it is a fault for the Region and Aifa, the Italian drug agency, to have neglected controls on a market in free ascent" .
This is the complaint. And the proposal? «Beware of discounts: we have brochures that promote the sale of generics with fabulous discounts, more suited to shopping centers than pharmacies. It seems strange to us that this problem, which has been on the table for years like Pulcinella's secret, has not yet been addressed. All the more so at a time when the Lazio health system is at great risk of maintaining both accounts and essential levels of assistance".
And what is the Region doing? "We are committed to an action to contain costs and for transparency," says the councilor for health, Augusto Battaglia. "The Fimmg complaint is therefore welcome: we will keep our eyes open to counter any speculation on drugs and on citizens' health". La Repubblica of 12/31/2007, article by CARLO PICOZZA ed. Rome p. 1
