Pharmaceutical assistance: Gross territorial expenditure

Overall gross expenditure on medicines distributed through local pharmacies in 2015 and reimbursed by the Provincial Health Service remained constant compared to the previous year, standing at around EUR 61.7 million (if net expenditure is considered, there is a slight decrease compared to 2014 of 0.2 %). At national level*, on the other hand, the trend towards a more significant decrease in the net expenditure of the affiliated pharmaceuticals continues in 2015. On average, the Provincial Health Service spent around EUR 118 per capita on medicines provided by pharmacies only in the territory (from EUR 82 in gross expenditure per capita in the Val Gardena health district to EUR 141 in the district of Bolzano). Compared to the previous year, the district of Val Badia recorded a significant increase of EUR 4 per capita (respectively from an average expenditure of EUR 101 per capita in 2014 to EUR 105 per capita in 2015); contrary to the Naturno-circumbent district, on the other hand, the largest decrease in its average expenditure of less EUR 3 per capita (from EUR 114 per capita in 2014 to EUR 111 in 2015 respectively). In the general ranking of therapeutic groups, pantoprazole (drug used against gastric ulcer and diseases of the gastroesophageal system) remains first among the active ingredients with the highest expense (about 2.0 million Euro or 3.3 % of total gross expenditure on the territory) exceeding the active ingredient of rosuvastatin (approx. 1.8 million Euro or 3.0 % of total gross expenditure on the territory). Among the top twenty major therapeutic subgroups (which alone account for more than one third of the total provincial pharmaceutical expenditure), the majority belong to cardiovascular system drugs (statines, medicines for the treatment of hypertension, heart disease and heart failure). * Source: Federfarma