The Omicron variant had a very high weight for the Italians also from an economic point of view.
The figures spent in pharmacies for antigen tests, masks, pulse oximeters and all the other products of the so-called anti-Covid basket say so.
In the first four weeks of January 2022, the Italians paid out 58 million euros just to make the quick swabs at the pharmacist
. An exorbitant figure, especially when compared to the whole of 2021, when 140 million euros had been spent on quick tests, most of which in the last part of the year. Another 143 million was spent in the pharmacy last year on the purchase of masks. The basket of anti-Covid products, from pulse oximeters to probiotics, immunostimulants, vitamins, sedatives and cough and cold products, brought 2.3 billion to pharmacies in 2021.
These figures, compiled by the global healthcare and pharmaceutical data provider Iqvia, show that the sharp increase in pharmacy spending went hand in hand with both the fourth wave of the virus and the entry into force of the green certificate. In January 2021 148 thousand antigenic swabs were sold in pharmacies, in September they became 586 thousand, for a total of 17.7 million euros. With the introduction of the Green Pass in October, the number increased to 844,000, while in November the tampons administered in pharmacies further increased to 1.58,000, for a value of almost 30 million euros. In the last week of 2021 there was an increase of 15.8% compared to the previous week.
The turnover of masked pharmacies also increased due to the introduction of the obligation of Ffp2 on means of transport in the last two weeks of last year.
As for hand sanitizers, the trend has been stable, with an increase in the last few weeks.
Iqvia detects the "Omicron effect" and announces that a strong increase in the numbers billed by Italian pharmacies is expected over the course of 2021. In fact, the increase compared to the previous year is approximately 3.5%, reaching revenues of € 24.56 billion.
"In this collaborative relationship between institutions and the private sector, as the Prime Minister Mario Draghi has repeatedly emphasized, positive results have emerged: pharmacies have been able to give an additional job opportunity to many pharmacists, as well as to many nurses working for processing swabs. This is an example of the service pharmacy, which has all the prerogatives to become a hub of first instance at the service of the citizen ", commented the national secretary of Federfarma Roberto Tobia.
"The introduction of more severe measures to contain the Covid emergency has forced the execution of more swabs, generating a large increase in traffic in the last quarter of 2021 in the pharmacy", remarked Sergio Liberatore, CEO of Iqvia Italia, " the distribution and administration of antigenic swabs by pharmacists has characterized their activity in recent times. Some pharmacies, particularly the larger ones, have been able to organize the service dedicated to tests in outdoor spaces or through separate entrances, others in pharmacies closed. This showed the great sense of service of pharmacists in this complex time ".