OBJECTIVES: To assess the consequences of the Selective Financial Decree for prescription drugs in Catalonia. METHODS: Observational longitudinal study of the registry of prescribed pharmaceutical specialties that were charged to the Catalan Service of Health, from august 1991 to July 1994. 243.8 million of prescriptions were analyzed. RESULTS: Between the 12 months prior to the Decree and the 12 months following, the number of drug prescriptions was reduced by 10%. As a whole, the drugs included in the decree were loosing sales before the Decree; 38% of then were not been prescribed at all during the period studied. The main groups affected by the Decree were, vitamins associations, stimulants an associations with cough suppressants, mainly with a low therapeutic value. There has only been and important and clear substitution effect in antianemic and cough suppressants associations. CONCLUSION: In general, substitutions between pharmaceutical groups were few and positive.
OBJECTIVES: To assess the consequences of the Selective Financial Decree for prescription drugs in Catalonia. METHODS: Observational longitudinal study of the registry of prescribed pharmaceutical specialties that were charged to the Catalan Service of Health, from august 1991 to July 1994. 243.8 million of prescriptions were analyzed. RESULTS: Between the 12 months prior to the Decree and the 12 months following, the number of drug prescriptions was reduced by 10%. As a whole, the drugs included in the decree were loosing sales before the Decree; 38% of then were not been prescribed at all during the period studied. The main groups affected by the Decree were, vitamins associations, stimulants an associations with cough suppressants, mainly with a low therapeutic value. There has only been and important and clear substitution effect in antianemic and cough suppressants associations. CONCLUSION: In general, substitutions between pharmaceutical groups were few and positive.