With the current standard of prescribing the principle of the drug, there is no saving for the National Health Service"
“The arrogance of the Government, in particular of the Minister of Health, Renato Balduzzi, is truly embarrassing: it is even more so in the face of the amendments presented by the Udc, Lega, Pdl and Pd, which eliminate the obligation for doctors to prescribe the active ingredient of a medicine instead of the name of the drug. The minister's no on this amendment is motivated by the alleged savings for the National Health Service, which is not true". This was reiterated today in a joint statement by Emilio Miceli, Sergio Gigli, Paolo Pirani, respectively general secretaries of Filctem Cgil, Femca Cisl and confederal secretary Uil.
"The current law, if not corrected, risks creating enormous employment problems - insist the union leaders -, and could induce some companies to relocate their production and their research, thus creating damage to the country and to the growth of the gross domestic product, greater than what the law itself can save. As trade union organizations and together with Farmindustria, we have long requested a meeting with the Prime Minister, Mario Monti, to examine and evaluate the cost-benefit ratio of these measures".
"We urge the Government to immediately open a discussion - they conclude -, aimed at avoiding imminent decisions to cut jobs in the pharmaceutical industries, which would add to the already difficult employment situation in a strategic sector for research and innovation".
