E-drug: Pfizer aims to destroy Australian PBS (cont'd)
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The Swedish MPA and Board of Health recently analysed the use of
'lifestyle drugs'. It states in a report that government expenditures on
impotence drugs rose from 50 million SEK in 1997 to approx 200
million in 1999 (divide by 8.4 for US$), largely due to the advent of
sildenafil. Spending on impotence drugs exhibits large differences
between regions, with twice the amount spent in large cities
compared with in some rural areas. Almost all drug treatment in
Sweden is reimbursed, partly due to the vague legal definition of
'disease'. The authors fear that state expenditure on sildenafil, orlistat
and others will rise further as doctors become more familiar with these
drugs and increase the off-label prescriptions.
See Scrip No 2481 p 6 for a more comprehensive review of the
report!
Staffan Svensson
Dept of Clinical Pharmacology
Sahlgrenska University Hospital
Gothenburg, Sweden
staffan.svensson@pharm.gu.se
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