Who doesn't know Doliprane? Few people, according to the figures presented by Health Insurance, Thursday November 14. Between June 2023 and June 2024, the French's favorite painkiller was prescribed to some 36 million patients, or more than 60% of policyholders covered by the health organization. The success of the iconic little yellow box is clear. With 308.2 million boxes delivered to pharmacies following a prescription during this same period, Doliprane is the most prescribed medication in France.
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No big surprise. It has already been more than a decade since the latter has been at the top of the podium. And this, far ahead of any other treatment, as noted by Health Insurance in its overview of the reimbursed medications most consumed in France between June 2023 and June 2024. Number two in the list, Dafalgan, another painkiller based on paracetamol, marketed by the Upsa laboratory, thus displays four times fewer boxes (71.6 million) sold, while number three, Levothyrox, indicated for hypothyroidism, has 31.6 million boxes supported.
If this top 20 gives pride of place to paracetamol, of which “France remains the largest consumer in Europe”observes Sophie Kelley, responsible for health products at Health Insurance, it also includes other brands well known to the French, like Zymad (23.2 million boxes), intended to prevent health deficiencies. vitamin D, the antithrombotic Kardegic (26.7 million boxes), Ventolin (12.8 million boxes), to treat asthma attacks, or the antispasmodic Spasfon (9.7 million boxes). boxes).
Costly progress
However, these medications, although very heavily prescribed, are not those that weigh the most heavily on the Health Insurance budget. Thus, Doliprane, whose most widespread reference on the market, the box of eight 1 gram tablets for adults, has a selling price of 2.18 euros, cost the health organization 265 million euros between June 2023 and June 2024. A significant amount, but much less than innovative medicines.
It is these treatments, often recent, and which bring therapeutic progress in serious or chronic pathologies compared to therapies already on the market, which hold the top cost in terms of value. Of the more than 12,000 drug references covered by Health Insurance, the 20 most expensive treatments thus represented 7.3 billion euros, or 28.3% of the drug expenditure of the health insurance organization. health in 2023.
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