Italian generic drug association cites €7.4 bn state savings and calls for payback reform

Egualia, the association representing around 70 companies that produce generic medicines, biosimilars and value‑added drugs, says the sector employs about 11,000 workers in Italy. It estimates that from 2016 to 2024 the use of equivalent and biosimilar drugs saved roughly €7.4 billion for the national health system and generated a production value of €6.4 billion, of which €2.2 billion were exported.

President Riccardo Zagaria highlighted that the Covid‑19 pandemic underscored the need for a domestic drug supply chain. He noted that Italy lags behind other EU countries in generic drug penetration, with citizens paying over €1 billion annually for brand‑name price differences that could be avoided. While law 232 of 2016 has boosted biosimilar uptake, regional implementation remains uneven. Zagaria urged reform of the pay‑back mechanism, proposing that companies participating in the lowest‑price tenders be excluded from its calculation to preserve marginality and sustainability.