Medicare has been to make this credible idea

The market for the drug gives since the beginning of the year of the atypical evolution signs, break with past trends. The first and the most spectacular is the slowdown of the refundable compendial market (excluding hospital and self-medication) whose growth in value was on the first seven months of the year by 1.1, against more than 6 for the same period of last year (data GERS). The French even physically decreased their consumption of drugs: 6.9 in units. The phenomenon is unprecedented over a long period.

Second atypical change, the market of the non-refundable drug which is reverse. Traditionally stagnant, or even declining, in France, it is currently very dynamic: 13.4 since the beginning of the year! Can certainly rely on the mechanical effect of the reimbursement, March 1, 2006, 236 drug "to medical service rendered inadequate." But, during previous waves of reimbursable, it had not attended also massive and also sustainable effect on the market of the non-refundable.

Add and it is still a novelty turnover of drug véinotoniques, of which the reimbursement rate was lowered from 35 to 15, decreased by 30 in value and 20 in units. Previously, a simple change of rates of reimbursement did affect little sales, complementary insurers automatically covering the difference, which is more systematically the case today.

It finally mentioned the case of generic drugs, whose brand substitution rate of more than 60 (for the 20 most sold molecules). It is consistent with the commitments undertaken by pharmacists with the Minister of health at the end of 2005.

These trend breaks are not due to chance. The evidence from the field are all in the sense of a change in behaviors of prescription of French doctors and general practitioners: they prescribe less!

Why On the one hand, the idea conventional policy conducted since 2005 according to which the upgradings of fees are now secured on savings in requirements is largely passed in the profession. Medicare has been to make this credible idea. It has specific indicators for monitoring of treaty commitments; She mainly sent "delegates from Medicare" which, like medical sales of the drug industry, move in offices for explains the conventional policy, to compare prescription profile to the average profile of the area, to respond to questions from physicians. This device is proving effective.

The consequences of this new deal, if it was confirmed, are important; for the first industry, to the extent that no industrial branch can suffer a blow to stop in its growth without this is reflected on business strategies, investments and employment. The poles of current growth of the pharmaceutical market generic , self-medication, biotechnology are not the traditional sectors of mainstream major groups. Therefore, to expect a recovery of the industrial restructuring movement, dormant for some years. As the public authorities, they have long lived with this idea that the economy of the drug was a pure economy of supply and that regulation should therefore focus almost exclusively on the conditions, including prices. The appearance of a sensitive public policy prescribing changes this paradigm: we must now develop drug policies more balanced between traditional supply factors and emerging demand factors.