More controversy in Hungary over Rx-only
29 drugs containing metamizol and aminofenazon (aminopyrin) are sold as prescription-only in Hungary from February 15. These include the most popular painkillers and antipyretics with very significant turnover.
The drugs remain unsubsidized and their price is unchanged. The reclassification and changes in indication to "strong painkillers not responding to other drugs" was initiated by OGYI, the National Institute of Pharmacy, as part of harmonizing drugs classification with the European Union where all these are sold on prescription.
Sanofi-Aventis, the manufacturer of the most popular painkiller in Hungary (Algopyrin), has welcomed the decision for safety, harmonization and medical reasons, but the company expects a significant drop in the drug's consumption, which was close to an annual 200 billion tablets with a value of 4.5 billion forint ($3.0 million).
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