Italy's New Prontuario Bars 900 Drug Products

The Italian Health Ministry has published the new Prontuario, which lists drugs which are wholly or partially eligible for reimbursement or restricted for hospital use. 2,036 drugs are listed in Class A (full reimbursement) and 272 in Class B (50% of the charge to be paid by the patient). 1,440 items are not restricted or limited, and the rest are prescription-only drugs obtainable only through a physician. 1,017 are for hospital or similar use. A further list will be published this week.

302 items based on 48 active ingredients transfer from Class A to C (full payment by patient), with "equivalent" drugs based on these ingredients remaining in Class A. A few transfers to C involve inexpensive gynecological drugs which are regarded as non-essential. A further 613 are included in Class C, making a total of 900 which no longer qualify for reimbursements.

The Ministry says the transfers were ordered after the drugs' producers failed to agree to align their prices with equivalent products. Among the active ingredients transferred to Class C are cimetidine (200mg only), domperidone (suppositories only), various ferrous sulphides and gluconates, some antibiotic or antibacterial agents used in vaginal creams, for example, plus ibuprofen, flurbiprofen and tenoxicam (suppositories).