Dispensing pharmaceuticals in France: authorized substitution of generic equivalents

Compared with other countries with a similar socioeconomic environment, gen eric drugs account for a very small proportion of pharmaceutical sales in F rance. The recently promulgated law on financing the national healthcare sy stem slates that drug dispensers have the right to substitute generic drugs for prescription drugs in accordance with the drug equivalence repertoire established by the national drug agency. How patients, pharmacists, physici ans and industrial firms will react to this new situation is an open questi on as use of generic drugs is basically unknown in France. Prescribing physicians, members of the drug agency pharmacists, health econ omists, and insurance company and pharmaceutical firm representatives parti cipated in a round table discussion to clarify the ongoing debate on the ef fect of this new end to the French "exception" in drug consumption. The con cept of generics and their use in substitution for prescription drugs was d iscussed in light of the outlined economic objectives together with the adv antages and disadvantages patients and physicians can expect.