PARIS, Dec 18 (APM) - Thursday’s Official Journal (JO) published two notices lowering the prices of 330 drug formulations, following the integration of a fee per box in pharmacists’ pay as of January 1.

Amendment No. 5 to the pharmaceutical agreement introducing these fees was published in the JO early in December.

This reform is due to transform around 50% of pharmacists’ pay into fees based on volumes: 0.80 euro before tax (0.82 euro tax inclusive) per box as of January 1 2015 and then one euro (1.02 euros) as of January 2016, with an additional charge of 0.50 euro for prescriptions comprising five lines and over.

The price cuts published on Thursday are to allow integrating the effects of this reform on January 1 2015, along with the reductions in reference prices (TFR) published for 398 generic groups early in December (APMMA 40713). They do not apply to before tax manufacturer’s prices (PFHT).

The JO added the new prices “take into account” the margin applicable as of January 1 2015.

In order to compensate for the arrival of fees, pharmacists’ degressive margin system (MDL) on prices has been reviewed. As of January 1 2015, this will be nil up to 0.82 euro (in PFHT), 25.5% between 0.82 and 22.90 euros, 8.5% between 22.90 and 150 euros, 6% between 150 and 1,500 euros, and nil beyond 1,500 euros. As of January 1 2016, the principle shall remain unchanged with the exception of the 0.82 euro threshold that will rise to 1.91 euros.

Until now, the margin had been 26.10% between 0 and 22.90 euros, 10% between 22.90 and 150 euros and 6% beyond 150 euros.

All the price cuts planned for December 1 2014, December 31 2014 or for January 1 2015 have been postponed till January 2 2015, in order to allow integrating the new remuneration and guarantee stock disposal with the new prices (lead time of 50 days from the price cut application date)

The price cuts concern 330 drug formulations, among which:

:: Sanofi’s Duoplavin (clopidogrel+aspirin)
:: Pfizer’s Pivalone (tixocortol)
:: Novartis’ Loxen (nicardipine)
:: Loxen SR
:: Pfizer’s Inspra (eplerenone)
:: Chiesi’s Innovair/Formodual with or without Nexthaler (beclometasone+formoterol)
:: Astellas’ Prograf/Advagraf (tacrolimus)
:: Astellas’ Vesicare (solifenacin)
:: Sanofi’s Triatec (ramipril)
:: Sanofi’s Cotriatec (ramipril+hydrochlorothiazide)
:: AstraZeneca’s Symbicort Turbuhaler (budesonide+formoterol)
:: Teva’s Monazol (sertaconazole)
:: Lundbeck’s Seropram (citalopram)
:: Johnson & Johnson’s Xeplion (paliperidone)
:: Amgen’s Aranesp (darbepoetin alfa)
:: Pierre Fabre’s Permixon (serenoa repens)
:: Mundipharma’s Flutiform/Iffeza/Affera (fluticasone+formoterol)

Numerous generic versions of citalopram, ramipril and the ramipril+hydrochlorothiazide combination are also concerned, along with parallel imports of Permixon.

(Journal officiel of December 18, texts 145, 146 & 149)

gb/aki/rs