In 2023, Health Insurance reimbursed 35.2 billion euros for medicines. Innovative treatments, particularly in oncology and rare diseases, explain this increase. Newer products, although less prescribed, represent a growing share of overall spending, highlighting changing medical priorities.
“Popular” drugs that are inexpensive per box but weigh heavily overall
The French consume a lot of medicines: 41 boxes per year on average. In 2023, Health Insurance reimbursed 35.2 billion euros for treatments. These expenses are also on the rise: after a period of relative stability between 2017 and 2020, reimbursements for medicines have soared since 2021, at a rate of +3.4% on annual average.
In terms of number, the most reimbursed drugs are Doliprane (308.2 million boxes), Dafalgan (70 million boxes) and Levothyrox (31.6 million boxes), Health Insurance tells us in a new report . Despite a relatively low cost per box, reimbursements for Doliprane and Dafalgan represent a cost of 265.1 and 62.8 million euros respectively for Health Insurance. On the other hand, remedies such as Apixaban (an antithrombotic) (755 million euros reimbursed), Tafamidis (a drug for the nervous system) (743 million) or even Eylea (an ophthalmological drug) dominate in terms of cost. These treatments target serious illnesses and benefit from high reimbursement: 96% on average for the 20 most expensive drugs.
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Health Insurance also notes an increase in expenses linked to the most innovative drugs: in 2022, reimbursable expenses for orphan drugs in the city and in hospitals amounted to 3.9 billion euros, an increase by 38% compared to 2021. The average annual growth rate for this position has also been 21.3% since 2019.
Regarding drug classes, it is anticancer drugs that have contributed the most to the growth in Health Insurance spending: +345 million euros at the end of June 2024. Then come immunosuppressants (+219 million euros), drugs for the nervous system (+208 million euros), those lowering the level of cholesterol in the blood (+136 million euros), finally those for endocrine therapy (+126 million euros).
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