“The drug companies close 2013 with 445 million euro of pay-back” for hospital pharmaceutical spending, “which is certainly not a small amount.
Very innovative medicines are now arriving which will tend to reduce other items of health expenditure, thus also helping the Italian economy in general. It will be necessary to find alternative spaces” for intervention to keep spending under control, “otherwise we will 'pay' for every new drug that arrives”.
This was recalled by Emilio Stefanelli, vice president of Farmindustria, participating today in Rome at the III Healthcare Summit. “The government quickly managed to have a safe health fund, which remained the one envisaged – acknowledged Stefanelli – although certainly not 'capacious' because it is approximately 20% lower than in other European countries.
But for the first time we know where we can get our hands on. In fact, however, we pay for the pharmaceutical expenditure overrun for the 100% in the community and for the 50% in the hospital. We cannot continue to consider the pharmaceutical system a closed system – he reiterated – with respect to the health system and the economy in general”.
