Italian Drug Spending Down Sharply In 1994

Despite the 17.7% decline last year in Italian drug spending, to 10,378 billion lire ($6.02 billion), the pharmacists' federation federfarma notes that even this level of spending was slightly higher than the 10,000 billion lire target set for the year.

The number of prescriptions dispensed declined 16% to around 276 million, or 4.8 items per capita, compared with 5.7 in 1993, at an average net cost last year of 37,480 lire ($32.22) compared with 38,270 lire in 1993.

1994 was a year of revolution within the pharmaceutical sector, with tough expenditure controls and a sharp decline in consumption. Drug prices were modified on the basis of controversial and disputed European Union average prices. Consumption in the various Italian regions moved into closer alignment, although the overall decline was more marked in the south.