Expenditures for drugs carried by Illness

It would seem that we have a franchise on the volume of drugs consumed, but we are not yet completely certain. " Frederick van Roekeghem, director of health insurance, remains cautious even if it can not help but note that since 1 January, the date of the establishment of franchises (50 cents per box of medicine), refunds medicines are not dynamic. After a 4.3% drop in spending in January, but with sharp corrections (days, seasonal variations), the trend should be the same in February (CNAM publish statistics Tuesday). "The trend is relatively low but it compares to the same period last year, marked by a fairly large epidemic," relativizes Roekeghem Frederick van. If the "effect" franchise remains to be clarified, health insurance has clearer ideas on the engines of spending growth observed drugs last year. Refunds were up 4.8% to 15.2 billion euros for the general scheme, compared with 0.9% in 2006 (due to heavy price cuts), which is nevertheless a slowdown compared to the period 2000-2004, with annual growth rates of 6% to 8%. On the positive balance presented yesterday included the effectiveness of certain plans containment requirements conducted with physicians. Thus, reimbursements of statins (anti-cholesterol), expensive medicines whose volumes had jumped, fell by 3.7%, below the triple effect of a moderation requirements, the emergence of generic and price cuts . Other drugs on which the CNAM results from the anti-ulcer (- 2.2% of expenditures), antidepressants and psychotropic (- 2%), or antibiotics whose expenses are thought to 1.5 %. By contrast, diabetes medication "remained buoyant" (+ 13.3% for insulin). The main engine of growth consists of the drugs prescribed in the context of serious illnesses involving the life: cancer, multiple sclerosis, AIDS. These drugs called "specialty" rose by 11% and together account for 56% of spending growth over 2007. Among the largest increases include anti-cancer (+ 25% extra spending), the anti-retroviral (+ 21%) or the érythropoïétines (EPO, + 11.3%). And health insurance has little means of action on these requirements, most often performed in hospital. Another factor of dynamism: Vaccines (+ 17.5%), especially with the marketing last year, the vaccine preventing cancer of the cervix (Gardasil, 450 euros for 3 injections) and the development of that preventing disease Pneumonia (Prévenar, 180 euros). The market for vaccines is expected to continue to grow strongly. But in this case, the insurance can at least hope to make savings on other treatments.