Citizens' share of medicine cost up 9.8% - Aifa

(ANSA) - ROME, NOV 12 - The share of pharmaceutical expenses shouldered by Italian citizens grew by 9.8% in 2023 compared to the previous year, data from medicine agency Aifa showed on Tuesday.
    Italians spent 7.1 billion euros on class-C prescription drugs with costs driven up by a rise in medicine prices and the prescription of more expensive drugs, Aifa said in its 2023 Osmed study.
    Overall, total pharmaceutical expenses grew by 6%, reaching 36.2 billion euros, 68.7% of which were reimbursed by the National Healthcare Service.
    A total of 1,899 doses of medicines every 1,000 residents were consumed every day in Italy in 2023, including 69.7% which were paid for by the NHS and the remaining 30.3% which were directly bought by citizens, according to Aifa.
    The most widely used drugs concerned the cardiovascular and gastrointestinal systems and blood, the study said. (ANSA).