French Ministry of Health launches awareness campaign to boost consumption of generic medicines

On 27 September, Marisol Touraine, French Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, launched the national information campaign “Devenir generic ça se mérite”, meaning “Becoming generic must be earned”, to promote the consumption of generic medicines. In the Minister’s words, generic medicines constitute “an essential pillar for guaranteeing the sustainability of the healthcare system […] a ‘win-win’ strategy, a less onerous medicine yet equally safe and effective” that has led to EUR 7 billion in savings within a five-year period.

The three-year campaign forms part of the triennial National Action Plan for the Promotion of Generic Medicines launched in 2015 in partnership with the National Health Insurance body, the College of General Practitioners, as well as the National Agency for Medicines and Health Products Safety. The campaign aims at consolidating confidence and knowledge among patients and healthcare professionals by dispelling doubts and offering data about the nature, safety and efficacy of generic medicines to anchor their consumption and improve savings. The campaign will be displayed in national and regional communication channels (including TV, radio, press, internet) featuring experts and healthcare professionals, and shared within the networks of the National Health Insurance and Regional Health Agencies. Specific information has also been designed for healthcare professionals with the aim at improving the prescription rate of generic medicines by up to 50%.

Currently, eight out of ten people in France consume generic medicines, amounting, however, to only 18% of the pharmaceutical expenditure.

A prior version of this post was originally published by the same authors in Practical Law – Life Sciences, October 2016 Issue (Thomson Reuters).

This post was originally co-authored by Patricia Carmona Botana.