Paris
France’s Health Ministry announced last week that it will no longer cover the cost of nearly a quarter of the nation’s most frequently prescribed drugs because they have “little or no recognized medical effect.” The French pop three times as many pills as the Germans or British, and many of their medicines target illnesses that do not exist in other countries. Many of the 900 drugs to be dropped from medical coverage are intended to combat a common French ailment known as la crise de foi, or liver trouble. In other countries, la crise is known as indigestion, and the only known cure is restraint at the dinner table.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Quiz of The Week: 15 – 21 NovemberQuiz Have you been paying attention to The Week’s news?
-
Can the UK do more on climate change?Today's Big Question Labour has shown leadership in the face of fraying international consensus, but must show the public their green mission is ‘a net benefit, not a net cost’
-
The Week Unwrapped: Will US Catholics rebel against the Pope?Podcast Plus what are the ethics of freezing your late partner?
