Pharmaceutical economy and the economic assessment of drugs in France.

An overview of the present state of development of pharmacoeconomics in France is given, and more specifically how it works, in what context it operates, what kind of studies it produces, what kind of results it reaches, and what kind of future it may expect. The main features of the French health care system and French drug economy are described. Six concrete case studies of pharmacoeconomic assessment are then summarised. The economic problem raised by these new well-known drugs, the characteristics and the conclusions of the studies that have been undertaken and the decisions that have been made by health public authorities are presented. Finally presented are some views about the future of what we term the "institutional pharmacoeconomics", which is a new discipline used by pharmaceutical companies to demonstrate to institutional buyers the value for money of their new products, and to regulate prices.