ITALY CHANGES DRUG SPENDING ESTIMATES

Pharmaceutical expenditure in the cardiovascular sector will show a decline in Italy during 1994 of 500 billion lire, down to 2,500 billion lire ($1.5 billion) from 3,000 billion lire in 1993, while for anti-infectives the medicines bill is expected to fall by 900 billion lire to 1,300 billion lire ($845 million) from the 2,200 billion lire estimated previously. And in gastroenterology, drug spending will be trimmed by 300 billion lire to 1,700 billion lire ($1 billion).

These estimates have been submitted by luigi Frati, a member of the recently-created Single Committee on Drugs, a panel operating within the Italian Health Ministry. The drop in drug expenditure stems from the reclassification of drug specialties, enacted by legislation on January 1.

However, Mr Frati forecast that state pharmaceutical expenditures for the year would end up at around 10,500 billion lire ($6.4 billion), or 10% more than envisaged, following provisions which transferred drugs from one classification to another after the original legislation had been enacted. These changes particularly involve antibiotics, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories, bronchodilatator drugs and oral antiviral specialties, he pointed out. Further changes will come, accompanying the "cultural updating" of doctors, Mr Frati added.