OBJECTIVES: The use of medico-administrative database is now essential for pharmacoeconomy and pharmacoepidemiology. Recently, the French law expanded the access to the Nationwide Claims database of 66.6 Millions people.

METHODS: Describe the SNDS French National claims database.

RESULTS: The French healthcare system offers universal coverage. The SNDS database links claims, with hospital-discharge summaries (PMSI) and the national death registry, using pseudonymisation of the unique national identifier. It now covers 99 % of the French population, over 66 million persons, from birth or immigration to death or emigration, making it one of the world's largest continuous homogeneous claims database. The database includes demographic data, date and cause of death, Long Term Disease registration for full reimbursement (mainly for chronic and costly disease), outpatient reimbursed healthcare encounters such as physician or paramedical visits (e.g. nursing, physiotherapy), medicines prescribed, medical devices, lab tests, but not medical indication, or lab test results) with costs; all private and public hospitalisations with primary, linked and associated ICD10 diagnoses, procedures, duration, and cost coding system (Diagnostic Related Group), as well as most very expensive drugs