Italian Industry Campaign To Boost OTC Awareness

While the development of the over-the-counter drug market in Italy is way behind other European Union countries, progress is being seen by the awareness-raising campaign run by the Italian OTC industry association, Assosalute, says its executive director, Piergiuseppe Rapazzini.

The industry campaign began in 1993, in the wake of Italy's "pharmaceutical revolution" which saw the abolition of the Prontuario and consequent reclassification of all drugs, and modification of the drug reimbursement system, he told a recent Drug Information Association meeting in Mexico. As a result of these moves, public spending on medicines has dropped 22%, and drugs' share of total health spending is down from 13.1% to 10%.

Assosalute decided on a three-year, 5 billion lire ($3.2 million) promotion campaign, "in view of the fact that the government was making no attempt to inform the public," to increase awareness of responsible self-medication and promote the correct use of OTCs for minor diseases. Consumers were the main target, then the mass media, pharmacists and general practitioners as opinion leaders, and the health authorities as decision-makers. A trademark was created to identify manufacturers involved in the campaign.