French Success In A Bleak Climate

Bernard Mesure, president of the French drug industry association, the SNIP, has called for a new boost to drug industry policy that gives priority to drugs as a service for the sick, and not simply "a tool of balancing the health service budget."

He said that in 1994, French drug production worth 81 billion French francs ($16.7 billion) at factory-gate prices represented 1.1% of Gross Domestic Product, while total reimbursements of the social security regime represented 1%. The French spent 87.3 billion francs on alcohol and 56 billion francs on tobacco last year, or 23% more than they spent on drugs and medicines. mr Mesure said the impact on drugs in the health spending budget was slight, and had weakened last year.

Meanwhile, he said, the proper use of medicines has advanced in France, with the non-justifiable surplus being mopped up, and there is a better balance between spending and health needs. The drug industry had had a slight recovery at the start of 1995, with consumption growing about 4%, and, with vaccination against hepatitis B, a significant advance in health. Mr Mesure said the success of this policy represents some two percentage points of growth since third-quarter 1994.