The decree on Liberalization issued by the Council of Ministers confirms the rule which obliges the doctor to indicate in the prescription, next to the prescription, the words "or equivalent drug if cheaper", with the only exception for the presence "of contrary therapeutic reasons in the specific case". The obligation is established from the moment a generic drug is placed on the market and also extends to the specification of the non-existence of an equivalent drug. Among the other provisions affecting doctors and dentists, the obligation to agree with the patient an estimate for the requested service in writing, with also an indication of the existence of insurance coverage – complete with duration and maximum coverage, has been confirmed. The obligation is deontological in nature, so much so that non-compliance with it constitutes a disciplinary offense and that within ninety days of the entry into force of the conversion law, the order will have to update the code. However, the rule does not apply to activities carried out in the context of the national health service or in relation to an agreement. On the other hand, the rule on the repeal of professional fees changes, which has been limited to those regulated in the order system. Furthermore, in the event of liquidation by a judicial body, the remuneration must be determined with reference to parameters established by decree of the supervising minister. The health professions are excluded from that provision which provides for the possibility of starting the practice aimed at enrollment in professional registers already during university.
January 23, 2012 – DoctorNews
Garattini: legislation on equivalents legitimate
The rule that obliges doctors to indicate the existence of the equivalent drug in the prescription has caused discussions among several interlocutors of the interested parties. But from the point of view of the pharmacologist Silvio Garattini director of the Mario Negri Institute, this is a legitimate rule: "The National Health Service has the right to ask medical personnel to prefer equivalent drugs due to their low cost". And he adds: «In Italy generic medicines were introduced late compared to other countries. The pharmaceutical industry is obviously interested in discrediting generic drugs because they lower the price and erode the market for branded products. But the citizen must know that equivalent drugs are controlled and can avoid paying the difference in price between the branded drug and the equivalent drug". Also Giorgio Foresti president of AssoGenerici, expresses himself in favor of the equivalent drug and of the standard. And it addresses the concerns of Lucia Aleotti, vice president of Farmindustria, who argues the difficulty of "competing endlessly with the costs and prices of products arriving from emerging countries", underlining the advantages that there could be for the Italian industrial system which will not be penalised: "The rule included in the Liberalization Decree does not
