Portugal’s struggling pharmacies are to receive incentives from the state to sell more generic medicines to customers, according to news from Health Minister Paulo Macedo communicated to Infarmed, the national regulator for the drugs industry.
The agreement in principle with the National Association of Pharmacies aims to increase the share of non-patented drugs in the domestic market, saving the health department millions each year.
Macedo wants pharmacies to select the cheaper version of the drug prescribed by doctors. This process already is law but is not being followed by many pharmacies. Macedo wants the system to work and is to insist the rules are followed but sensibly has offered the carrot as well as the stick.
In return for pushing lower cost drugs, Pharmacies will be allowed to expand their services by resuming needle exchanges, which were suspended by the Ministry of Health in late 2012, expand the monitoring of diabetes, and the promotion and administration of influenza jabs for Portugal's vulnerable elderly.
