The rule on the generic contained in the liberalization decree is aimed at favoring the use of generic medicines at a lower cost. In this sense, the substitution in the pharmacy must be understood as referring to all medicines that are equivalent to the one specified by the doctor, without making any distinction between designer medicines and generic medicines. A clarification to the reading of paragraph 9 of article 11 which comes from the Ministry of Health and which was more necessary than ever. "A literal interpretation of the provision" underlines the Ministry in a note "could lead one to believe that the pharmacist is required to give the customer (who does not express a different will) the medicine with a generic denomination having the lowest price among the medicines of same composition, even when this price is equal to or even higher than the price of the branded medicine indicated as first choice by the doctor". While the goal is "to promote the use of cheaper equivalent medicines, in all cases where there are no specific health reasons that make it necessary to use the specific medicine indicated by the doctor". The substitution "therefore must be understood as referring to all medicines that are equivalent to the one specified by the doctor, without making any distinction between branded medicines and generic medicines". Meanwhile, a new protest arrives from Fimmg: «We have received reports from the provinces that some software that manages the computer files of general practitioners automatically indicate on the prescription, next to the prescribed drug, the wording "replaceable with a cheaper generic equivalent". We do not accept such an arbitrary intrusion into the professional activity of the doctor by any software producer through a subjective reading of the indications contained in the decree on liberalisations. We have urgently convened a meeting with all general practice software manufacturers to explain our reasons. In the meantime, we distrust them from these practices».
January 27, 2012 – DoctorNews
MINISTRY OF HEALTH: Press release of 25 January 2012 – n° 12 Clarifications on drugs and pharmacists
Pani, Aifa working on category C criteria outside the pharmacy
Analysis is underway on which medicines will lose their prescription
"The criteria" according to which some class C prescription drugs will 'lose' the prescription requirement and can therefore be sold with the rest of the over-the-counter products outside the pharmacy, as provided for by the save Italy decree, "are the fundamental point.
