ITALY ADDS INNOVATIVE DRUGS TO REIMBURSEMENT LIST

Italian drug regulator AIIFA has approved 65 new drugs to treat diseases ranging from HIV/AIDS, diabetes, osteoporosis and high cholesterol. Since October 2004, the total number of new drugs made available to patients free of charge has increased to 439. This has included 54 innovative drugs and 10 "orphan" drugs, with the remainder being generics.

The latest additions to the drug list have been made possible by the Ministry of Health, which has cut the time it takes to register a new drug from 300 to 90 days, in line with the European Union (EU) average.

A new reimbursement system was introduced in Italy in September 2001. Under the new system, the majority of prescribed generics are provided free under the national health system. The government has been expanding the country's list of fully reimbursed medicines, the Prontuario, including adding 13 new painkillers in January 2005 as well as treatments for multiple myeloma and schizophrenia.