Decline In French Drug Sales, Health Spend

Growth in medicine sales in French pharmacies fell during the summer. During January-August they rose 3% compared with 5% in first-half 1996; the only weaker growth rate registered worldwide was in Japan, at 2%.

Meantime, French health fund spending declined 0.4% in September after stabilizing in August, reports the leading fund, the CNAM. Spending on drug prescriptions alone dipped 0.4% compared with a rise in August of 0.4%, and medical fees were down 0.5% in September.

The CNAM says the trend over the last four months considerably reduces the risk of overshooting the government's spending growth limit of 2.1% in general medical practice. Public-sector hospital spending dipped 0.3% in September, and that of the clinics fell 1.2%.