OBJECTIVES: Act No. 140/1998 on Drugs and Medicinal Aids which is valid in Slovakia to the november 2011, possible to apply non-compulsory generic substitution in community pharmacies. However, according to available data, applied only in 5 to 10 percent. New Act on Drugs and Medicinal Aids (Act No. 362/2011) entered into force from 1. december 2011, which introduced required generic prescription to ensure adequate health care for the insured, to improve health and enhance the quality and availability of health care in the effective use of funds. The aim is to reduce the ever rising cost of health care. The cardiovascular disease is making the largest share of financial costs. METHODS: Drugs expenditure derived from data of the General Health Insurance. RESULTS: In Slovakia during the period 2009-2011 constituted the largest average share of total spending on medicines covered by the public health insurance ATC group C, 22.7% (cardiovascular system). Despite a decline in drug packages issued for cardiovascular disease in the last year of 3.25%, there has been an increase in the value of the funds of 3.14% of public health insurance. Research focused on share and impact of generic substitution made in the Slovak pharmacies in 2010-2011 showed the most substituted products in ATC group C (36.14%), with the most substituted drugs belong amlodipine (6.26%) and atorvastatin (4.97%). CONCLUSIONS: In recent years, increasing the volume of public expenditure on drugs co-payment patient is growing rapidly. The use of generic drugs is to reduce consumption and costs for medication, not to the detriment quality therapy. One of the aims of the new law about medicines and medical devices to bring savings to the state and citizens in the area of drugs. Preliminary studies suggest differences.