Title: Increase in Pharmaceutical Expenditure and Consumption Reflects Italy’s Aging Population: 2022 National Report
Subtitle: Prescription drugs account for 1.8% of Italy’s GDP, with elderly population consuming majority
Date: [Date], 2023
Italy’s pharmaceutical expenditure in 2022 reached 34.1 billion euros, marking a 6.0% increase compared to the previous year, according to the recently released “Use of Medicines in Italy” report by the National Observatory on the Use of Medicines (OsMed) of the Italian Medicines Agency (AIFA). This expenditure accounted for 1.8% of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
The report highlighted that over 60% of Italian citizens received at least one pharmaceutical prescription, with per capita expenditure and consumption increasing with age. Specifically, the population over 64 years of age accounted for more than 60% of the total expenditure and doses.
Italy’s average age was found to be high, with an aging population often accompanied by various health problems. Additionally, anxiolytics were found to be the predominant drugs for adults, while antibiotics were the most consumed category for children. The elderly population had an average expenditure of 556 euros per user.
When it comes to drug exposure, there was a slight difference between genders, with a prevalence of 62.0% in males and 70.4% in females. The report also revealed that prescription drug spending was approximately 10% higher in the northern and central regions of Italy compared to the southern regions.
In 2022, around 4.2 million assisted children and adolescents in Italy received at least one pharmaceutical prescription, representing 45.0% of the general pediatric population. The increase in prescriptions was particularly notable among children aged between 6 and 11 years. Antibiotics emerged as the most consumed category for children, closely followed by drugs for the respiratory system, reflecting the recovery of infectious diseases.
Furthermore, among the top 20 therapeutic categories with the highest prescription expenses, six of them were related to the nervous system. Benzodiazepine derivatives, including anxiolytics and hypnotic-sedatives, were the most purchased category, accounting for 17% of spending and 22% of daily doses within class C prescriptions.
Other notable categories with expenditure levels exceeding 200 million euros in 2022 included drugs used in treating erectile dysfunction, which experienced a growth in consumption (+9.5%) and expenditure (+1.2%) compared to the previous year. Contrary to the overall trend, contraceptive drugs’ spending increased slightly (+0.7%) while doses decreased (-0.5%). In terms of self-medication drugs, ibuprofen and diclofenac were the leading active ingredients by expense.
The findings from the 2022 National Report on the “Use of Medicines in Italy” shed light on the demographic and health conditions prevailing in the country. The increasing expenditure and consumption of pharmaceuticals serve as reflections of Italy’s aging population and the various health challenges faced by its citizens.
Considering these trends, policymakers and healthcare providers may need to focus on proactive strategies to manage healthcare costs, optimize drug usage, and develop targeted interventions to address specific health issues among different age groups in Italy.