In Italy, the contraction in pharmaceutical spending has been constant since 2008 and in 2012, equal to 14% in real terms. Containment of expenditure ceilings, reduction of margins for wholesalers and pharmacies and the cut in the prices of generic drugs.
We are a little fatter than in 2004, but we smoke less than in 2000, and we drink less alcohol. The new OECD health statistics
by Flavia Foradini – 01 July 2014 – The sun24 HOURS
In almost two thirds of OECD countries, from 2009 to 2012 there was a decline in spending on the purchase of medicines. The authors of the report indicate cost cuts, often following negotiations with pharmaceutical companies, and a consistent growth of the generic drug market, thanks also to extensive information campaigns, as the causes. In Italy, the contraction in pharmaceutical spending has been constant since 2008 and in 2012, equal to 14% in real terms. The reduction in spending is probably due, in part, the OECD hypothesizes, to the containment of spending ceilings at the regional level and has contributed to the decrease in national health spending. Other possible causes are the reduction of margins for wholesalers and pharmacies and the cutting of the prices of generic medicines on the basis of a reference pricing system. The average increase in this segment was in Italy from 6% in 2008 to 9% in 2012, but the value remains well below the OECD average of 20%. A surge in the purchase of generics in recent years has been recorded in Spain (+ 100%), France (+ 60%), Denmark (+ 44%).
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