French Reimbursable Delistings

Deletions of pharmaceutical products from France's official reimbursablespecialties list, made under the December health and social security regulation, include Hoechst's Baralgine (noramidopyrine), a number of anti-allergy agents manufactured by Institut Pasteur, Janssen-Cilag's Hismanal (astemizole) and Sandoz' Parlodel (bromocriptine) in 50mg and 100mg/ 2.5ml forms.

- Moves to reduce the longstanding regional disparities in the French regional hospital sector are to be accelerated by the government in 1998. Funding for each region will be set on the basis of a national budget rising 2% to 253 billion French francs ($42.75 million).

The major traditionally highly-funded Ile-de-France region, including Paris, is unlikely to see its budget grow more than 0.35%, if it rises at all.