New maneuver to make up for the breakthrough in 2006 pharmaceutical expenditure (contracted and non-contracted) compared to the programmed ceiling. The Italian Medicines Agency has given the go-ahead to the measures which came into force on 1 October. These measures, without prejudice to those in place for the recovery of the 2005 overrun - reads a note from Aifa - envisage for pharmaceutical companies a reduction of 5% on the price of all drugs reimbursed by the National Health Service and the application of a discount to the manufacturer of 0.6% on the redetermined price, which replaces the previous one, starting from 1 October 2006. The prices thus redefined will remain unchanged until the complete recovery of the discount expenditure amount ascertained for the year 2006 and for this purpose a check is envisaged by 15 February 2007. The new measures are applied in the same manner as the previous manoeuvre, AIFA specifies. These measures, however, will not affect citizens, as Aifa itself assures, recalling that: "the provision keeps the possibility of access to medicines unchanged, guaranteeing the reimbursement by the National Health Service of all medicines for the treatment of serious and chronic pathologies ".
Furthermore, the BoD has at the same time given a mandate to the General Manager to identify and formulate by the February 15, 2007 Structural measures for expenditure management for 2007. The measure - reports the Medicines Agency again - became necessary since despite the expenditure containment maneuver adopted last July (selective revision of the National Pharmaceutical Handbook), at the end of the year there is a forecast of an overall overrun quantified at over 800 million euros for the portion of 60% that the law places on private entities. In the first six months of 2006 compared to the same period of 2005, in fact, there was an increase in spending equal to +10.8%. Implementation from 1 October 2006 of the maneuver approved yesterday - adds Aifa - will make it possible to cover the 2006 breach in a shorter time, avoiding that in 2007 there may be an overall deficit such as to require the adoption of further particularly severe containment measures. From Doctornews
Furthermore, the BoD has at the same time given a mandate to the General Manager to identify and formulate by the February 15, 2007 Structural measures for expenditure management for 2007. The measure - reports the Medicines Agency again - became necessary since despite the expenditure containment maneuver adopted last July (selective revision of the National Pharmaceutical Handbook), at the end of the year there is a forecast of an overall overrun quantified at over 800 million euros for the portion of 60% that the law places on private entities. In the first six months of 2006 compared to the same period of 2005, in fact, there was an increase in spending equal to +10.8%. Implementation from 1 October 2006 of the maneuver approved yesterday - adds Aifa - will make it possible to cover the 2006 breach in a shorter time, avoiding that in 2007 there may be an overall deficit such as to require the adoption of further particularly severe containment measures. From Doctornews
