Electronic prescriptions: Recent updates
A note published by the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Economy and Finance on March 3, 2022, announced that as of January 31, 2022, electronic prescriptions for drugs that are not reimbursed by the National Health System are operational in parts of the Italian territory.
Electronic prescriptions: the current modalities of transmission from doctors to patients and from patients to pharmacies are extended until 31st December 2022
E-prescriptions now available also for drugs not reimbursed by the NHS
On December 30, 2020, the Ministry of Economy and Finance adopted a decree (“Ministerial Decree”) that provided the possibility for doctors to issue e-prescriptions for drugs not reimbursed by the National Health Service (“NHS”).
Dematerialization of prescriptions: Ministerial Decree allowing e-prescriptions for drugs not reimbursed by the NHS has been published in the Italian Official Journal.
COVID-19 emergency: increasingly dematerialized prescriptions
In order to reduce the spread of Covid-19, on March 19 the Head of the Civil Protection Department adopted an ordinance (“Ocdpc 651/2020” or “Ordinance“) allowing a citizen to receive from his/her physician an electronic prescription number (numero di ricetta elettronica – “NRE“), which is necessary to get a prescription drug from a pharmacy, without going to the doctor’s office.
Substitutability of veterinary medicines: this is now also possible through the use of parallel imports
This is a period of profound changes in the veterinary medicines sector.