Pharmacies are routinely ignoring doctors' orders to give patients branded medicines in order to cut costs, according to a survey by the Dutch patients' federation. Doctors often specify that patients should receive a particular brand, adding the term 'medically necessary' to the prescription. Changing the manufacturer can lead to unwanted side-effects or reduce the effectiveness of the treatment. In a survey of 2900 patients who had been prescribed a specific brand, pharmacists struggled to obtain the correct medicine in 28% of cases, the Patiëntenfederatie said. Pharmacists said they often had no choice but to supply an alternative because of budgetary restrictions set by insurers. Federation spokeswoman Dianda Veldman criticised pharmacists for overruling doctors' without consultation. 'Often they don't tell the patients at the counter, so that people don't know they're getting a different medicine until their body reacts.' However, Aris Prins, of the pharmacists' organisation KNMP, said doctors used the term 'medically necessary' too liberally and cheaper medicines were not necessarily of lesser quality. 'Obviously some patients benefit from receiving a specific brand, but they are in the minority. Medically necessary is the most devalued term there is.' Prins argued it was more cost-efficient for pharmacies to keep several different brands of a medicine in stock. 'The preference policy is a matter of saving pennies in order to keep things affordable. That is one of the terms patients agree to when they take out an insurance policy.'  More >

An Asian tiger mosquito has been spotted in Eindhoven, prompting government safety experts to put up more traps around the city in an effort to see if they are breeding. Locals living in a 500 metre radius of the sighting have been sent a letter by the public safety body NVWA warning them about the presence of the mosquito and asking people to empty plant pots which may contain water where the mosquitoes could breed. The mosquito was caught in a residential area, but it is unclear how it came to be in the hands of the NVWA. The NVWA is going to take steps to eradicate potential breeding grounds. Asian tiger mosquitos have been spotted in Weert, Amstelveen, Assen and Almere so far this year. The first one was found in the Netherlands in 2005. The tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus) is a native of south east Asia and is thought to spread via bamboo plant imports and on car tyres. Dengue fever, yellow fever and encephalitis are among the diseases it spreads.  More >

A professor at the VU teaching hospital has been given a formal reprimand for using dna material from female patients for commercial purposes without their permission, the NRC has reported. Chris Meijer also failed to mention his commercial interests in six academic journals, in one research proposal and in his recommendations about the national cervical cancer screening programme, the paper said. The LOWI, the highest Dutch body for academic integrity, said in its ruling that Meijer had 'contravened scientific integrity' with his actions, the NRC said. Meijer first hit the headlines in 2015 when the NRC reported he was involved in three companies which stood to benefit from the government's planned switch to self-testing kits for cervical cancer and had kept this secret. Meijer had lobbied hard for the introduction of the self-screening kits and was a member of the national health council at the time. The VU teaching hospital told the NRC it did not plan to take any further action against Meijer, despite the LOWI reprimand.  More >

Rotterdam city council is opening the health insurance scheme it set up for low-income households to all residents of the port city. The policy, which had targeted people with an income of less than 130% of the minimum wage, will now be offered city-wide, officials said on Thursday. 'We developed the policy for people with high care needs, who are vulnerable and don't have much money, alderman Sven de Langen told Radio 1 news. The policy, a joint product with insurance group VGZ, absorbs most of the compulsory €385 own risk payment. Policyholders have to pay just €50 towards the cost of their treatment over a year rather than the full amount. The premium for for the Rotterdampolis in 2019 has not been made public. This year the charge is €104.58 a month, plus €63.05 for top-up policies. Single people on low incomes can also claim up to €94 a month in healthcare benefits.   More >

Of the 81 youngsters who committed suicide last year three in 10 had an immigrant background, a study by health officials has shown. The study also found that an average of seven teenagers kill themselves every week and that boys make up the majority of cases. One quarter (20) of the 81 cases of teen suicide took place in the province of Brabant. The number of teen suicides in the Netherlands had been stable at around 50 a year of a number of years but suddenly shot up to 81 in 2017. In June junior health minister Paul Blokhuis upped the budget for suicide prevention among teens by €2m to €5.4m. Blokhuis has now briefed a team of mental health researchers to conduct further studies into what is causing the increase in teen suicides. It will be the most extensive investigation into teen suicide so far in the Netherlands. ‘Great Britain and the United States are also seeing an increase and it will be interesting to compare findings,’ head researcher Renske Gilissen told broadcaster NOS. The team is expecting to come up with concrete ways of helping teens struggling with suicidal thoughts in 2019.  More >