[Osteoporosis drugs prescribed on blue forms!]

The National Insurance Administration, through the system of blue prescription forms, refunds part of the cost of drugs used to treat a number of chronic diseases. To obtain a refund, the indication for prescribing the drug must be included in the list of diagnoses which entitle a refund through the system. The list is a long one, and costs are refunded for prophylactic drugs (e.g. against hypertension and hypercholesterolemia), drugs to alleviate symptoms (e.g. for certain skin diseases and heart failure) and curative measures. The qualitative criteria for a refund, over and above the diagnosis, are not precisely defined, and doctors are free to choose the drug they prefer, regardless of price. The authors discuss whether the list of diagnoses should be extended to include osteoporosis, and recommend that doctors should be able to prescribe the relevant preventive and palliative drugs on a blue form. Many think that this refund system is a good initiative.