The Agenzia Italiana del Farmaco (Italian Medicines Agency) has released its annual findings in the Rapporto OsMed 2024 sull'uso dei farmaci in Italia (National Report on the Use of Medicines in Italy 2024). The data reveal that total pharmaceutical spending—comprising both public and private sectors—reached €37.2 billion, representing a 2.8% increase over the previous year.
The primary driver of this growth was a 7.7% rise in public spending, which totalled €26.8 billion. This shift reflects an increasing reliance on the Servizio Sanitario Nazionale (National Health Service) to fund high-value treatments, particularly for oncology and rare diseases. In contrast, private out-of-pocket spending by citizens contracted by 4.6%, falling to €10.2 billion.
Pierluigi Russo, the Technical-Scientific Director of the Agenzia Italiana del Farmaco, noted that the rise in public investment is directly linked to the expanded reimbursement of advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs). Spending on these therapies grew by 60.2% compared to 2023. Additionally, new antidiabetic medications, including GLP-1 analogues used for weight management, saw a 13.2% increase in expenditure due to a shift toward higher-cost therapeutic classes.
The report also highlighted that cardiovascular drugs remain the most consumed category, while oncological and immunomodulating agents represent the highest financial burden, accounting for approximately €8.2 billion. This periodic update, which serves as a cornerstone for national health planning, was formally presented on 10 November 2025.
The findings are expected to intensify discussions regarding the sustainability of the national health budget. While the report confirms that Italian drug prices remain among the lowest in Europe, the continued influx of breakthrough therapies will likely necessitate more stringent clinical appropriateness monitoring and potentially trigger further renegotiations of existing pricing agreements.
Source: Agenzia Italiana del Farmaco (AIFA)
Link: National Report on the Use of Medicines in Italy 2024
Date: 10 November 2025