Spain's public health Rx spend up 6.3%

Spanish national health service (SNS) spending on drugs rose by over 6.3% between October 2007 and September 2008 to about 11.8 billion euros ($15.05 billion). The January-September 2008 increase was 7% - the biggest in five years. Spending rose to its highest levels in the Catalonia, Valencia and Andalucian regions where the estimated extra spending was about 120.0 million euros.

One of the main reasons for the rise, at a time when drug prices are being forced down, is believed to be a higher volume of prescribing and an increase in the average cost per script. Isabel Vallejo, president of the Federation of Spanish Pharmacists (FEFE), says the growth in spending is due, in part at least, to the trend by doctors to prescribe the most recent and more innovative medicines for clinical reasons. She also confirmed that the lower drug prices had already been offset by the increase in the average price per prescription.

The regions have some autonomy in adopting strategies to counter the rise in costs. Catalonia and Madrid have opted for a generics promotion policy, while Andalucia has for some time focused on a system of prescription by active principle, leaving the pharmacist to select the most cost-effective product, often a generic.