The downward trend recorded in 2005 by the sector of self-medication drugs in Italy continues in 2006 as well: this is revealed by the 2006 Report on self-medication presented this morning in Rome by ANIFA, the national association of the self-medication pharmaceutical industry.
The document underlines how 2005 represented a year of substantial stagnation, with sales, in fact equal to 333 million packs, down by 0.3% for the entire non-prescription drug sector and even more marked for self-medication (OTC) medicines which drop almost one percentage point. Furthermore, the first 4 months of 2006 recorded values for the OTC segment that were down by 9% (volumes) and 12.6% (values) compared to those recorded in the first 4 months of 2005.
The market for self-medication drugs, therefore, is unable to grow, indeed it continues to leave market shares on the ground. Consumption in 2005, in fact, is lower than in 2001, and this means that the sector is unable to consolidate its positions.
The meeting held this morning in Rome was also an opportunity for reflection and discussion on the ongoing debate in the country regarding the Decree Law for economic and social revitalization in which the Government has also included the sale of non-prescription medicines outside the pharmacy.
“Having introduced a distribution system complementary to the pharmacy – stated Angelo Zanibelli, President of ANIFA – must in no way lead to a trivialization of the OTC drug or its unjustified penalisation. Self-medication medicines - he underlined - are and remain medicines and cannot be assimilated to generically health products. In this sense it is therefore essential that even in the new distribution reality the spaces dedicated to medicines are really able to "separate" these from other products.
It is therefore necessary – Zanibelli proposed – to provide for specific forms of sale of medicines, with an active role for the pharmacist, a separate till, the insertion of medicines in envelopes and relative sizes by the pharmacist himself.
The new distribution system – he continued – must not even become a pretext for differentiating the supply of self-medication medicines from the pharmacy. In fact, these are medicines whose safety has been amply proven and which, for this reason, are considered suitable for autonomous use by the citizen. Furthermore, the presence of a pharmacist also in the new distribution reality is a guarantee of assistance and professional advice. This is why it is important to maintain the principle that all non-prescription, self-medication drugs must also be sold in the new distribution channel".
The Minister of Health Livia Turco was also interned at the meeting and underlined the need to create a complete list of all self-medication drugs with their characteristics. "This is not a list of safe drugs - he said - but a precise description of what drugs are not prescribed by doctors, therefore self-medication, to give citizens the maximum guarantee of what and which drugs are safe and effective".
The minister also specified his intention to continue the dialogue with pharmacies even beyond the Bersani decree, which is only one aspect of drug policy, and that no figure of A and B pharmacist will be created, given that the ministry is interested in enhancing the figure of the pharmacist to guarantee maximum safety, effectiveness and peace of mind for citizens, who will thus also be able to save money. From SaluteEuropa 11-07-06
