“Antibiotics are not automatic and the right treatment is not necessarily medication. » It is with these two slogans that Health Insurance concluded its press conference presenting an overview of the use of the drug. Despite this communication campaign, the French remain very large consumers of medicines in Europe.
“We are in the top three », confirms its general director, Thomas Fâtome. In total, 41 boxes of medicine are purchased per year and per individual. All for a reimbursement of 410 euros on average. A figure that has been stable for several years, specifies the director. Only one in five consultations with a doctor do not result in a medication prescription in France, compared to a third or even half in other European countries.
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Among the popular drugs, Doliprane appears to be the winner. The paracetamol brand will reach 308.2 million boxes sold in 2023. This is four times more than the second best-selling drug, Dafalgan, again paracetamol. The molecule has been prescribed by prescription to nearly 70% of French people.
Many of them also benefited from so-called level 2 painkillers – namely opioids. As a reminder, they will be more closely regulated in the prescriptions, in order to prevent any risk of addiction, recalled the doctor Sophie Kelley, head of health products at Health Insurance.
This success of Doliprane and Dafalgan can be explained by the fact that the two drugs benefit from a French exception of not having generics. An agreement is concluded with the government to protect these two brands from competition from new, cheaper entrants. However, Doliprane is part of the Opella subsidiary, owned by Sanofi, and is in the process of being sold in majority to an American fund.
25.5 billion euros of refund
The large quantity of medicines consumed in France weighs on Health Insurance. In 2023, 25.5 billion euros of medicines were reimbursed, or 12% of total expenditure, a constant increase since 2021. Figures attributed to an increasing reimbursement rate, linked to the continued growth in long-term conditions covered at 100%. Above all, the number of innovative and expensive drugs is continuously increasing.
To stop this exponential rise in spending, several questions are on the table. Starting with the ever-increasing reimbursement of medications providing little medical benefit. This concerns a third of the amounts currently reimbursed.
“It’s a phenomenon, an element that questions us in terms of sustainability”admitted Thomas Fatôme, pointing out that other countries have chosen not to reimburse this type of medicine.
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Diabetes medications in the spotlight
The other issue will also be the monitoring of the prescription of drugs such as semaglutipe, better known under the name Ozempic, for people with diabetes. However, it is proven that this analogue of the hormone GLP-1 promotes the feeling of satiety and reduces the appetite for fatty and sugary products. In the United States, sales have exploded, driven by influencers looking for weight loss. A misuse that Health Insurance wants to try to combat through very strict controls on prescriptions.
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« It is our top molecule in the fight against fraud », confirmed Marguerite Cazeneuve, deputy director of Health Insurance.
Since October, this same drug has been authorized in Europe for obese people under the name Wegovy, at a higher dosage than Ozempic. For the moment, no reimbursement is possible for Wegovy but the file is currently being investigated. There is no doubt that there too, the level of vigilance will be particularly high.
