I have read what is happening in our sector with particular regard to the dispute between Farmindustria - State - Federfarma. On the various sites and online newspapers we have read the various positions, those of the Government on the maneuver, that of Federfarma and also those of Farmindustria. The picture seems very clear to me. There are sacrifices to be made and many wish others would do it. It's the classic Italian way of thinking. A long long hand to take and a short short hand to give.
However, what strikes me the most and which I find it a little difficult to understand is the attitude of pharmaceutical companies and their trade associations. A thousand complaints were raised to the sky first by Doctor Dompè and then even by the president of Confindustria Doctor Marcegaglia about what is happening in the pharmaceutical sector.
As we all know very well, being used to reading so many nice numbers that companies provide us, each analysis, if you want, can be complete and correct or, as too often happens, it can be partial and partisan. Doctor Dompè perhaps because he is used to reading only certain numbers, he occasionally forgets others. Well, let's try to clarify and explain ourselves better.
Taken from asca online of 08 July 2010 : Dompe says this: ”The data from the 2009 Osmed Report, released today, confirm the drop in the price of drugs by 3.2%, after a series of consecutive decreases from 2003 onwards. Just as they also highlight the reduction in pharmaceutical expenditure paid by the NHS by 1.7%, which has been continuously decreasing since 2006 and with levels 4% lower than those of 2001."
Data incomplete as always, Osmed also says that in 2009 the pharmaceutical market amounted to over 25 billion euros, of which the 75% reimbursed by the National Health Service and mainly disbursed (above the 50%) through public and private pharmacies (class A-SSN). The overall territorial pharmaceutical expenditure, public and private, increased slightly compared to the previous year (+1.4%), with coverage by the NHS of approximately 68%. Class A-SSN territorial pharmaceutical consumption is up by 3.4% compared to 2008: 926 doses of drug per day were prescribed for every thousand inhabitants (there were 580 in 2000), while expenditure grew by 1.6%. The main expenditure components (quantity effect, price effect, mix effect) show for 2009 an increase in the quantity of prescribed drugs (+3.8%), a decrease in prices (-3.2%) and an increase in the mix effect (+1.1%).
Dompè continues on Asca as follows: “Data that bear witness – once again – to the moment of great criticality of drug companies which in recent years have recorded a sharp slowdown in investments, a negative foreign balance (-720 million); a reduction in employment (-10%); great pressure on profitability and lower drug prices in the EU (-20%)”. This was declared by the president of Farmindustria, Sergio Dompe'. “To this – he continues – is added the maneuver which fixes a reduction of 3% in the net revenues of the pharmaceutical industry, among the lowest in Europe (61% against the 80% recognized in England). A decrease that must incredibly finance the increase in pharmacy margins. And this despite the fact that companies are already called to contribute 600 million in savings on equivalent medicines, to which must be added the costs deriving from the transfer of another 600 million euros of medicines from hospitals to pharmacies. “
I'm not an economist and therefore I'll leave more erudite interpretations to others, but if the mix effect is 1.1 %, the result of the increase in quantities of far
