French on target for Rx drug economies

French doctors have managed to keep drug prescribing within set limits in the first half of 2006, according to the health fund organization CNAM. Spending on antibiotics, for example, has fallen 11% since the start of the year. The CNAM says that, if the trend to the end of June is maintained, then the health fund sector and doctors will have met the terms of their agreement to cut spending on prescriptions for certain classes of drug around 790.0 million euros ($1.01 billion).

The agreement has enabled general practitioners to obtain an increase in fees from 20 euros to 21 euros per consultation. The CNAM figures show that, in addition to the sharp drop in reimbursement spending on antibiotics, spending on psychotropic drugs also fell by 6% in the first half compared with a target of 5%. Spending on statins dropped 4.4% compared with a target of stabilizing spending - a surprise for the health funds.

The downturn has been due to the development of generics, lower prices and a fall in the number of new patients for these prescriptions. The only problem has been in the ulcer drugs area where spending dipped 0.9% against a target forecast of -2%. The CNAM notes that a campaign to make doctors and patients aware of the target on anti-ulcer drugs started only recently. The proportion of generics prescribed in substitution for an original drug reached 67.2% in June compared with 63% in January, although this figure has remained static for about two months and has not yet achieved the 70% target fixed for the end of the year.