On the occasion of National day for women’s healthwhich is celebrated on April 22, the Italian Medicines Agency chaired by Professor Giorgio Palù, emeritus professor of Virology at the University of Padua, approved the free birth control pill for all women. The green light has arrived by the Pricing and Refunds Committee (Cpr) of Aifa, chaired by the doctor Joanna Scroccarohead of the Pharmaceutical, Prosthetics and Medical Devices Department in the Veneto Region, e it will have a total cost for the state coffers estimated at 140 million euros a year.
Cost and use
Until now, the pill cost from 10 to 25 euros per pack and reimbursement was reserved for girls up to 25 years of age, unemployed women or women who had already undergone voluntary termination of pregnancy. «The issue had been under the attention of the agency for months, but technical time was needed to arrive at a complete evaluation – explains Scroccaro —. It is an important decision, which will allow more women to access oral contraception, until now considered too expensive by many of them, who in fact could not afford it”. And in fact, again according to Aifa, Italy is in 14th place in Europealso behind Germany, France, Holland and Portugal, for its uselimited to less than 20% of women of childbearing potential.
Times and types
Ma when and what types of pills contraccettive they will be available at the pharmacy for free? «I state that the obligation of a medical prescription remains – clarifies Scroccaro – as regards the times certainly before autumnbecause after the approval in the Technical-Scientific Commission and in the Prices and Refunds Committee, the operation must pass the scrutiny of the Board of Aifa, chaired by Professor Palù. In the meantime you have to see which of the companies producers are willing to pass from the free price, which allows them to independently increase it every two years, reimbursement by the National Health System. Procedure which instead imposes a fixed cost, to change which a request must be submitted to Aifa. As for i types of pill, however, we have chosen nine types out of 21 – says the president of the Cpr – three for each of the three categories indicated by the Technical-Scientific Commission based on the different content of active ingredientso as to satisfy the different needs of those who will hire it».
HIV drug
In the same session, the Aifa Prices and Refunds Committee ha also approved the free Prep pill, which guarantees pre-exposure prophylaxis against the HIV virus. It is taken by subjects who are not infected but who have relationships at risk: today it costs 60 euros per pack, it will soon be free. «For the Prep the times will be fasterWhy the manufacturers have already applied to make it refundable from the National Health System and hospitals buy it at low prices – reveals Scroccaro -. For the next month the operation should go through, all that is needed is the passage to the Aifa board of directors. Studies show that Prep can make a big contribution in terms of infection prevention, so we’re making an investment in health.” Once the medicine is free for those at risk, it will be distributed by hospital pharmacies, following the prescription of the infectious disease specialist. It will not be available in pharmacies. «We wanted to get this double approval before the expiry of our mandate and the reform of the Italian Medicines Agency, expected for the summer – concludes Scroccaro -. My tenure ends on June 30th. But I’m staying in the Veneto Region».