Drugs against "futile" diseases should not be refunded anymore, according to the association of insurers Santesuisse and to the pharmaceutical association Interpharma. A higher co-payment part should also be applied to drugs obligatory refunded by the insurers.

According to a working paper of Santesuisse and Interpharma (This proposal on behalf of the Association of the Swiss Pharmaceutical Companies is quite surprising taking into consideration the official position (fr/de) of this Association as for the reforms of LAMal), the list of some 2200 drugs refunded by the cases should be divided into four groups. Information was revealed by "SonntagsZeitung" and was confirmed by the secretary-general of Interpharma Thomas Cueni, which stressed that this document should be discussed only by "experts".

This group of experts made shows of an originality and an undeniable strategic vision. Unfortunately this vision does not have the role to serve the interests of patient.

Indeed it does not act anything more than a simple alignment on the 25 years old Italian NHS refunding system such as it was before the November 4 2002 Decree concerning the annihilation of Group B in refunded medication. This modification will undoubtedly be the next stage in Swiss insurers high strategic vision of LAMal reforms. In practice, with the next step system we should not speak of drug groups anymore, but only of refundable or non-refundable drugs. Should such a reform be led by the unique decision of experts?

The first group (compliant with Group C, in the Italian NHS refunding system) of drugs includes remedies against "light problems of health, which, untreated, cause neither chronic diseases, neither disability, nor death". These drugs, such as cough mixtures, balsams intended to stimulate blood circulation or even nasal drops, should be eliminated from the list of refunded products (they will be entirely charged to the patient).

The second group (similar to group B in Italy) contains preparations against "diseases which make little suffer" (described by those "experts"as i.e. analgesics, antidepressants or laxatives). For these drugs, a definitely higher co-payment - of approximately 50 %, according to Mr. Cueni - is proposed. It is today generally around 10 %.

Co-payment should only be slightly increased of 30 %, for drugs against serious illnesses (similar to group Bbis in the Italian system), like powerful analgesics against back pain, which "can be attenuated or improved by durable hygienic measures", according to Mr. Cueni.

But it should (such a generosity will undoubtedly surprise the citizen) not be modified for the drugs against "invalidating or mortal diseases" (Group A in the Italian acception).

Related topic : Pharmacology of Pain explained by Prof. L. Schild and Dr D. I. Karara