CZECH DRUG SPENDING RISES IN JANUARY THROUGH SEPTEMBER

According to official sources, Czech drug spending increased slightly in January through September 2004, to some CZK40.7bn (US$1.77bn), representing a rise of 4.5%. However, the number of packets supplied to pharmacies and healthcare facilities decreased by some 7.7% in the period.

The statistics also show that some 88mn packets of the total 240.7mn packets distributed in the period were sourced from local producers. Sales of drugs imported from neighbouring Slovakia amounted to some 29.3mn. Officials attributed the rise in overall expenditure to the economic effects of the Czech Republic's entry into the European Union and lower production levels of cheaper drugs.