German Rxing levels too high, says study

Too many drugs are being prescribed in Germany, and about 20% of thehealth funds' current drug spending could be eliminated, says a report by Ulrich Schwabe of the Pharmacological Institute at Heidelberg University and Dietrich Paffrath.

They estimate savings of $8.1 billion Deutschemarks ($3.76 billion) annually, and say the latest government announcement of its plan to increase the drug spending budget overall has actually made the situation worse.

In 2000, drug spending rose 2.8% to 37.8 billion marks, with generics' share growing and with fewer products of dubious therapeutic value prescribed, the report says. This rise, albeit moderate, is put down to doctors prescribing more innovative new drugs, although overall, they were less eager to reach for their prescribing pads.