Monitoring Registries at Italian Medicines Agency: Fostering Access, Guaranteeing Sustainability

OBJECTIVES: The AIFA (Agenzia Italiana del Farmaco--Italian Medicines Agency) Monitoring Registries track the eligibility of patients and the complete flow of treatments, guaranteeing appropriateness in use of pharmaceutical products, according to approved indications. METHODS: This study describes the Italian pharmaceutical context and the aims and functioning of AIFA Monitoring Registries, focusing on the applications to the Managed Entry Agreements (MEAs) and HTA approaches. RESULTS: The AIFA Monitoring Registries System has been operational in Italy since 2005. In 2012, the system became part of the NHS Information Technology system, aiming at enhancing appropriate use of pharmaceuticals and efficiency of the administrative activity. Currently, seventy-six medicines are monitored through the system, corresponding to fifty-eight therapeutic indications; individual treatments recorded are more than 515,000, for a population of approximately 505,000 patients. For each monitored product, patients eligible for treatment are registered in the specific therapeutic indication dynamic monitoring database to collect epidemiologic and clinical data, including data on the safety profile, and ex-post information missing at first evaluation stage. CONCLUSIONS: AIFA Monitoring Registries allow the evaluation of the pharmaceuticals' performance in clinical practice and may promote innovation and quicker access to medicines at affordable prices, for the benefit of patients.