The protests for the cuts in healthcare envisaged by the 47 billion euro maneuver to settle the state budget by 2014 are multiplying. In addition to governors and doctors, the pharmaceutical industries are protesting, affected by a cut of 800 million euro since 2013 with the payback of the 35% of the hole in hospital medicines. There is a risk of making those who want to invest leave Italy, is the message of Massimo Scaccabarozzi, President of Farmindustria: "We are hitting a sector that is the engine of innovation and important treatments in hospitals. It will be a boomerang: we are losing an opportunity and the news of these cuts is going around the world in our sector".

(Il Sole 24 Ore Pag.13 – 02/07/2011)  

The 47 billion maneuver launched: 10 euro tickets suspended. Tax on pharmaceutical companies

In the Decree approved by the Council of Ministers on 30 June 2011, the automatic return from January 2012 of the 10 euro superticket on specialist visits and analyzes is skipped for the moment: it will be seen at the end of the year whether the Government will refinance it. Surprisingly, from 2013 pharmaceutical companies will take on the 35% of the red of hospital pharmaceutical expenditure, at least 800 million (today paid entirely by the Regions). The ceiling of 5.3% on the expenditure of medical devices is expected. In the manoeuvre, modification of the organization and functioning regulation of Aifa and an "annual fee" to be paid to the Medicines Agency for companies requesting authorization to market the products. In order to bring down the territorial pharmaceutical expenditure from 13.3 to 12.5%, from 2013 there could be incentives on generics. The coverage by the State of the 485.5 million missing in Healthcare from June to December 2011 and the possibility, from 2014, of introducing additional tickets to cover the 47% of the maneuver expected in the Chamber in two weeks have been confirmed.

(Il Sole 24 Ore Pag.3,9 – 01/07/2011, Corriere della Sera Pag.2 – 01/07/2011, Il Mattino Pag.5 – 01/07/2011, Il Messaggero Pag.4 – 01/07/2011, Il Sole 24 Ore Pag.13 – 04/07/2011)