French Health Minister rejects HAS drug advice

France's Minister of Health, Xavier Bertrand, has rejected the advice of the senior advisory council on health (HAS) concerning the reimbursement of 48 vasodilator drugs used for the treatment of lower-limb arthritis and memory loss. Mr Bertrand instead stated that all existing drugs that are reimbursed for the condition would continue to be covered.

The HAS' call for "dereimbursement" came in a recent report which proposed the drugs' removal from state-backed insurance plans on the grounds that they offered insufficient medical benefits to justify their expense.

The government's decision to overrule the recommendation was based on the view that no alternative therapy exists and that elderly patients currently using vasodilator drugs should not change their treatment programs.