The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) has lost a legal battle against schemes promoted by Britain’s state health service that encourage doctors to prescribe cheaper medicines.
The European Court of Justice has decided that public authorities may offer financial incentives to induce doctors to prescribe cheaper medicinal products. And that such incentives are not to be considered advertising, but legitimate policy measures to curb the growing public expenditure on pharmaceuticals.
Interestingly, the European Commission has supported the ABPI claim, which was then contested by the Czech, Dutch, Estonian, Spanish, French and UK governments.
All is well that ends well!
For more information, read the European Court of Justice press release.
If you are looking for the actual ruling, you can find it here.
Teresa Leonardo Alves