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Normandy rail strike: five lines disrupted this Friday and Saturday
Ticket inspectors walk out after a knife attack on a colleague, with four unions backing the action
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French PM says diesel stockpile release will cut prices by up to 18 cents per litre
Sébastien Lecornu used televised speech to promise release of ten million barrels of diesel and address lycée protests
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Temperatures to drop by 12C as first snowfall to hit Pyrenees and Alps
Storms to continue in the south
Cutback on medicine brands
Patients who refuse a generic medicine in place of a branded one from January 2020 will only be reimbursed based on the price of the generic, according to next year’s social security budget bill.
The rule will apply unless there is a medical justification for it to be waived, for example, if the generic contains an ingredient to which the patient is allergic. Generics cost 40% less on average and the government says money saved can be put to better use, such as for buying innovative medicines to treat childhood cancers. Currently, the only penalty for refusing a generic is you must pay upfront for it and thus do not obtain le tiers payant.