Following a decision by the Italian Medicines Agency, the contraceptive pill will now be given free of charge to all women who want it. The total cost of this initiative for the Italian health system is estimated at 140 million euros per year.

At the same time, it was also decided to provide the antiretroviral treatment PrEP (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis), which reduces the chances of HIV infection, for free.

According to the newspaper Corriere della Sera, this decision is particularly important because there are women who do not have the possibility to use the contraceptive pill for financial reasons. The cost of each pill varies in Italy from 10 to 25 euros.

In some Italian regions (such as those with capitals Rome, Florence and Bologna) until now it was decided to provide the contraceptive pill free of charge only to women up to the age of 25.

As for the treatment that reduces the chances of HIV infection, leaders of the Italian Medicines Agency explain that it will be administered by hospitals with little burden on the national health system – due to its limited cost – and that “it is an investment, with the aim of protection of the health of the country’s citizens”