Is there an Italian case regarding equivalents? According to Assogenerici, yes, since in recent days there has been a very clear position taken by the president, Giorgio Foresti. In his report to the Association's Assembly, he points out that despite the obvious benefits already determined by the use of generics, which for the first time in 2007 made it possible to respect the ceiling set for pharmaceutical expenditure, these drugs continue to remain on the sidelines of the attention of the legislator. Foresti points out that it would be enough for the Italian consumption of generics to align with the European average to achieve 2 billion euros on an annual basis. That is more than what other measures to contain health costs promise to save. Resources that should be used for innovative medicines, orphan medicines, pain therapies, biotechnological medicines and not just to make up for spending ceilings.
"Structural interventions that allow the definitive take-off of generics and the consolidation of a pharmaceutical market, already heavily penalized in the past by drastic and unilateral cost containment maneuvers, can no longer be postponed - according to Foresti. Instead, we need to focus on the correct management of economic resources otherwise the entire sector will deteriorate, which cannot be supported by discount policies or based on short-term results, deriving only from new patent expiries".
Strengthened also by what was expressed in his latest report by Antonio Catricalà, president of the Competition and Market Authority, Foresti went into detail. "Too much superficiality and too many interests" he said "weigh the correct development of equivalents as also noted by the Antitrust. Insinuations on quality, safety and controls regarding generic drugs are repeatedly read, and it is paradoxical that such accusations are made after more than thirty-five years since their introduction on the European market and over ten years on the Italian one.These are instrumental affirmations, artfully disseminated and a symptom of an evident backwardness of our country compared to Europe and the rest of the world, where the penetration shares of generics are well more consistent than in Italy".
Among the causes of the lack of growth, Foresti cited the phenomenon of the shifting of prescriptions, well known to all operators in the sector. In essence, it systematically happens that, when a patent expires, the relative molecule is "abandoned", the prescriptions for that drug drop and at the same time the prescriptions of molecules still covered by patent, belonging to the same therapeutic class, increase. And how can we fail to mention the lack of a clear direction towards prescribing an active ingredient, upon discharge from the hospital? Prescribing the active ingredient at the time of hospital discharge would certainly make it easier for local medicine to convince the patient to use the equivalent drug.
These shortcomings, and others still, in the drug system deprive Italy of a great opportunity to innovate its Health System: "Just starting from a correct and intelligent management of the drug - Foresti stated - a virtuous circle can be triggered through the synergy and territorial-hospital integration, in which citizen, doctor and pharmacist feel an integral part in the management of the economic resources necessary to guarantee access to very expensive treatments in the future, which are not accessible today with these levels of general expenditure". All themes that most likely will be
