Aifa: pharmaceutical spending over 23 billion in 2024, hospital spending exceeds 3.64 billion

In the last months of 2024, the growth of pharmaceutical expenditure for direct purchases of medicines by the Regions slows down, which still records a deviation of 3.640 billion compared to 3.278 in 2023, equal to 11% of the National Health Fund (FSN) against 8.3% of the planned spending ceiling. This is indicated by the monitoring of pharmaceutical expenditure published by the Italian Medicines Agency, underlining that the figure "is certainly better than the overrun of approximately 4.4 billion predicted by observers external to AIFA by projecting the data of the first half of the year on an annual basis and which represents a growth of 1.5% compared to the 10.5% of the FSN reached last year".

The spending trend, however, also considering the transfer of several medicines from the Fund for Innovative Products to that of direct purchases, "is in line with that of previous years and with those recorded in all advanced countries".

Spending on individual regional health funds ranges from 9.18% in Lombardy to 13.12% in Campania. In addition to Lombardy, Valle D'Aosta and Trento are also below 10% of the FSR, while in addition to Campania, Sardinia, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Emilia Romagna and Abruzzo also exceed the 12% threshold.

Expenditure on direct purchases, net of medicinal gases, amounts to a total of 14 billion and 631 million, to which are added the 8 billion and 353 million of expenditure on contracted pharmaceuticals, i.e. for products sold in pharmacies, which, although slightly up compared to 2023, still records a surplus of 651 million compared to the planned spending ceiling, equal to 6.8% of the Fsn. Contributing to the increase of 159 million in expenditure on contracted pharmaceuticals is the increase in consumption, with over seven million more prescriptions, equal to a 1.3% increase compared to 2023.