France's LEEM claims end of reibursement violates "doctor-patient relationship"

Following last week's report (Marketletter October 23) that the Haute autorite de sante, France's senior health advisory authority, was recommending the removal of 89 drugs from the government's reimbursable medications list, the French drug industry association (LEEM) has warned the country's Health Minister against making a "poor decision."

Speaking at a press briefing to discuss the LEEM's Medication Week events, Christian Lajoux, the association's president, claimed that the decision to end reimbursement was an assault on the "close relationship between the doctor and the patient," as well as detrimental to medical insurers who will find that they are directed towards paying for more agressive, powerful and costly products. Mr Lajoux added that the drug industry relies on some of the revenues from the affected drugs to finance R&D.

Mr Lajoux spoke of effect of HCA proposals on Sanofi-Aventis