The analysis by the Italian Medicines Agency shows substantial stability in the last 3 years (in 
average 19.4 billion euro/year).
Spending on private purchases by citizens (about 7.2 billion in 2020) continues to be a substantial share that needs to be monitored also for the purpose of assessing appropriateness.
The sustainability of expenditure, however, when compared to the levels of funding envisaged (and specifically the expenditure relating to direct purchases), shows critical issues: starting from 2017, in fact, a deficit with respect to the ceiling has constantly been recorded in all Regions and Provinces Autonomous.
The levels of this breakthrough are extremely variable between the different Italian regions.
The additional COVID-19 funds, drawn from the National Health Fund (FSN), have not substantially changed the breakthrough levels of direct purchases. On the other hand, the additional quotas destined to the pharmaceuticals under agreement have led to a greater surplus of unspent resources.
The remodeling of the caps, expected to start in 2021, will lead to a rebalancing of resources between the two delivery channels.
AIFA – Published on: 01 September 2021
