France Cuts Drug Prices, Bans Promo Campaigns

The French government has reduced by between 3% and 20% the prices of seven major drug products, and imposed bans and sanctions affecting a string of drug promotion campaigns.

The price cuts concern rei-mbursable drugs and, say industry sources, are effectively sanctions against the producers for exceeding the volume sale objectives fixed with the government when they were launched. The government is sending a clear message to the industry that it expects strict adherence to its agreements.

The drugs affected are Bayer's Ciflox (norfloxacin), Janssen's Prepulsid (cisapride) and Ketoderm (ketoconazole), Roussel-Uclaf's Lanzor (lansoprazole), Astra's Mopral (omeprazole), Takeda's Ogast (lansoprazole) and Rhone-Poulenc's Zoltum (omeprazole).