Insurance companies have saved a combined €750m to €900m over the past five years by ensuring patients are given cheaper generic drugs rather than branded medicine, the Dutch health authority NZa said on Wednesday.

Every year, the Dutch spend some €4.8bn on medicine, but this has remained stable for the past few years, because of more stringent prescribing habits.

The research also shows the number of pharmacies has remained level over the past few years and that people are in general happy with the service they offer.