According to the Italian Antitrust Authority's document, substituting the cheaper drug with the more expensive one could cost Italy's national health service (Servizio Sanitario Nazionale) approximately 400 million euros per year.
Notes on verification
Confirmed verbatim against the Epicentro/ISS page citing the AGCM document, and corroborated by multiple independent contemporaneous news outlets reporting the same 400 million euro/year figure tied to the 2013 Antitrust investigation opening. Note this was an initial 2013 estimate; the final 2014 AGCM decision cited different figures (45 million actual, up to 600 million projected).
Sources
- Procedura di infrazione da parte dell'Autorità Antitrust (epicentro.iss.it)
- https://www.euroconsumatori.eu/articolo/483-antitrust-avvia-istruttoria-contro-novartis-roche-possibile-intesa-restrittiva-della (euroconsumatori.eu)
- https://www.sanita24.ilsole24ore.com/art/dal-governo/2013-02-15/ANTITRUST_FEBBRAIO2013-075503.php?uuid=AbwlicUH&refresh_ce=1 (sanita24.ilsole24ore.com)
- https://news.fidelityhouse.eu/cronaca/case-farmaceutiche-180-milioni-di-multa-a-roche-e-novartis-21572.html (news.fidelityhouse.eu)