Country Correspondent: Marianne Storm
As part of the government's budget for 2018, Norwegian parliament (Storting) introduced the Medicine Start program to ensure the safe use of drugs for patients with chronic diseases. The program offers cardiovascular patients consultations with local pharmacists regarding their treatment with antihypertensive, cholesterol-lowering, or blood-thinning medications. The aim is to instruct patients in taking drugs safely — in the right amount, at the right time, and according to doctors’ recommendations. Pharmacies will be reimbursed NOK 225 (approximately USD 28) per patient consultation, and all patients will be eligible to receive two consultations.
