For two years, in 2018 and 2019, he prescribed an “off-label” painkiller to one of his patients who complained of severe pain. Now, a doctor based in Bergamo could have to reimburse the National Health Service almost 333 thousand euros (332,992, 38 to be precise), equal to the cost of the medicine, for “inappropriate prescribing”.
The doctor, as he reports Courier Bergamo, had prescribed the drug to a young man with intermittent and severe pain that no visits had resolved. Until, after a visit to the neurosurgeon, he suggests the medicine in writing, which the doctor prescribes, with good feedback from the patient since the pain subsides.
The refund request, which may be archived
Five years later, on 27 January 2024, the request for reimbursement by Ats, based on the minutes of the Company Commission for Pharmaceutical Appropriateness (Caaf) of Ats dated 20 December 2023. So the doctor turned to the TAR, asking the suspension of the two documents: the request is rejected, because the compensation would not – for now – be stringent.
Ats, in a note, explained that if the doctor does not spontaneously compensate for the damage, everything will be reported to the Accounting Prosecutor’s Office, which could request confirmation of the compensation as well as its archiving. It is not clear what the drug was prescribed, nor what the patient’s actual problem was.
The president of the Medical Association took care of explaining the complex issue Guido Marinoniwhich a Courier Bergamo said: «The therapeutic indications of medicines are defined in the technical data sheet», although the law allows the use of medicines for reasons other than those authorized, while others may also have new, unregistered indications. Doubt remains regarding the payment of these medicines, since off-label medicines are not paid for by the National Health System.
