• Health Policy and Management
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.112-123
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• 2013

Background: Under the risk of financial sustainability of National Health Insurance, Korean government attempted a series of regulations over pharmaceutical prices. The first price-cut was implemented to the hyperlipidemial treatments, and the prices of statins were reduced on 15th, April in 2009. The purposes of this study are 1) to investigate the impact of this price-cut on pharmaceutical expenditure, and 2) to identify the factors associated with drug-switch among statins. Methods: Using the national patients sample data, this study conducted time series analysis on the expenditures, prices, and volumes of statin drugs. To understand the factors associated with drug-switch, the multinomial logit model was analyzed at the patients level. Results: The results of time series analysis demonstrated that the price-cut of hyperlipidemic medicines did not lead to the reduced expenditure, suggesting the increased volume was the major cause. The multinomial logit analysis identified the switch of healthcare provider as the significant factor that was highly associated with drug-switch, implying the physicians' preference was the major motivation of drug-switch. Conclusion: Without control of utilization, price regulation itself could not reduce pharmaceutical expenditure. This suggests that the pharmaceutical regulations should be implemented on the basis of understanding of provider behaviors. The findings of this study will form the first step for further empirical studies.

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.52-70
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• 2009

This study is to analyse the reimbursement prices of drugs in Japan. Japan has the world's second-largest pharmaceutical market, and the world's largest price-controlled pharmaceutical market. The reimbursement prices of new drugs in Japan are determined by confidential negotiations between the manufacturer and the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare. Pharmaceuticals account for a larger share of total healthcare expenditures in Japan than in most other major pharmaceutical markets such as France, Germany, United Kingdom and United States. Prescription drugs' share of total healthcare spending has slightly increased in recent years, from 20.2% in 2000 to 21.5% in 2004, the most recent year for which data are currently available. This trend is attributable to the effect of the Japanese rapidly aging population that stimulates demand for healthcare services. There are several method of price setting for drugs as below. First, on the initial pricing of branded drugs, is the similar-efficacy pricing method and cost calculation method. Second is postmarketing price changes which are biennial price revisions under the rule of National Health Insurance. Third is the rule of the generics price. Recently, the generics market is expanded because there are increasing numbers of hospitals by DPCs(Diagnosis-procedure Combinations).

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.22 no.7
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• pp.83-94
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• 2024

Purpose: This article aims to investigate the influence of pricing and distribution on the level of satisfaction and purchase decisions among consumers of pharmaceutical products in Kazakhstan. Research design, data, and methodology: A mixed-methods research design was utilized, incorporating primary and secondary data. Primary data were collected through a survey administered to customers across various pharmacy types, with 100 valid responses analyzed. Secondary data involved an extensive review of existing literature and analysis of national statistics concerning the pharmaceutical market trends from 2008 to 2022. Results: The results reveal a complex relationship between price perceptions and customer satisfaction. A significant segment of the population views current drug prices as high, which affects their satisfaction levels and purchase decisions. The study also highlights the importance of service quality in enhancing customer satisfaction, suggesting that service improvements could mitigate some of the negative perceptions of pricing. Conclusions: This research contributes to the limited but growing body of knowledge on the impact of pricing strategies on consumer satisfaction in the pharmaceutical sectors of developing countries like Kazakhstan. Focusing on economic and behavioral aspects, this study provides a more holistic understanding of the factors driving consumer satisfaction and purchase behaviors in this critical sector.

• Information Systems Review
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.289-313
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• 2024

Korean pharmaceutical and bio-health companies began applying for FDA approval in 2000. However, drug companies in South Korea are not required to obtain FDA approval to market their products on the South Korean market, and the approval process is highly resource-intensive. This study utilizes event study methodology to examine the information effect of US FDA approval announcements on the stock prices of pharmaceutical and bio-health companies listed on South Korean stock markets. The study's results show that FDA approval announcements caused abnormal increases in corporate stock prices, indicating that these announcements have a transnational information effect on South Korean companies' value. Furthermore, the results show that the impact of FDA approval announcements on stock prices is greater for small companies than mid-sized and large companies and in bio and healthcare industries than in the traditional pharmaceutical industry. This impact is also more significant on the KOSDAQ (Korea Securities Dealers Automated Quotation) companies than the KOSPI (Korean Composite Stock Price Index) companies and after the expansion of stock price limits. These findings signal that the information effect is more significant when regulatory controls are weaker. The results also indicate that obtaining FDA approval brings above-normal returns for companies and that FDA application is a high-risk, high-return investment.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.360-368
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• 2018

Background: The proportion of pharmaceutical expenditure out of total health-care expenditure in South Korea is high. In 2016, 25.7% of national health insurance (NHI) spending was for pharmaceuticals. Given the increasing demands for the access to newly introduced medicines and following increase in pharmaceutical spending, the management of NHI pharmaceutical expenditure is becoming more difficult. Methods: This study analyzed the data claimed to NHI for pharmaceutical reimbursement from 2010 to 2016. Results: The policy implications with respect to the trends and problems in spending by drug groups were elicited. First, the proportion of off-patent drugs spending which were treated to chronic disease was much higher than anti-cancer drug spending. Second, the spending to the newly introduced high-costed medicine increased, however, current price-reduction mechanism was not sufficient to manage their expenditure efficiently. Conclusion: Our system seems to need several revisions to improve the efficiency of pharmaceutical expenditure and to cope with high-costed medicines. This study suggested that the prices of off-patent drugs need to be regularly readjusted and the Price-Volume Agreement System should be operated more flexibly as well.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.193-198
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• 2014

Objective: This study was conducted to compare the adherence, clinical and economical utility of fixed-dose combination tablets of sitagliptin/metformin with concomitant administration of sitagliptin and metformin in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Methods: Adherence was measured as the medication possession ratio (MPR) of ${\geq}80%$, and MPR was calculated as the number of total prescription days divided by the total treatment period. Hemoglobin $A_{1C}$ ($HbA_{1c}$) differences between baseline and predetermined periods were analyzed. Proportions of patients who achieved $HbA_{1c}$ less than 6.5% for three or more consecutive times were compared. To evaluate cost-effectiveness, prices of sitagliptin, metformin and sitagliptin/metformin tablets were investigated. Results: More than 90% of patients showed adherence in both groups (92.0% in fixed-dose combination group vs 95.9% in concomitant administration group), and there was no statistically significant difference (P = 0.113). Proportion of patients with HbA1c less than 6.5% for three or more consecutive times tended to be somewhat higher in fixed dose combination group than in concomitant administration group without a statistically significant difference (32.6% vs. 28.0%, P = 0.344). Total price of metformin and sitagliptin was cheaper up to 222 KRW in the case of fixed-dose combination tablets compared to the case of concomitant administration. Conclusion: The sitagliptin/metformin fixed-dose combination tablet had a similar patient adherence and was not significantly different in efficacy to the concomitant administration of each component. In terms of drug prices, fixed-dose combination tablets were cheaper than concomitant administration of each tablet.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.737-745
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• 2021

This study aims to determine whether there are differences in the average abnormal return, trading volume activity, and trading frequency activity in pharmaceutical stocks before and after the announcement of the first case of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in Indonesia. The sample was selected using a purposive sampling method and collected as many as nine pharmaceutical companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange during 2019-2020. The data used in this study were secondary data in the form of daily data on stock closing prices, Composite Stock Price Index (IHSG), stock volume trading, number of shares outstanding, and stock trading frequency. This study was an event study with an observation period of 14 days, namely seven days before and seven days after the announcement of the coronavirus's first positive case in Indonesia. Hypothesis testing employed the paired sample t-test method. Based on the results, it was found that there was no difference in the average abnormal return of pharmaceutical stocks before and after the announcement of the first case of COVID-19. However, there was a difference in the average trading volume activity and the average trading frequency activity in pharmaceutical stocks before and after the announcement of the first case of COVID-19.

• Journal of Digestive Cancer Research
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.104-107
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• 2023

The Ministry of Health and Welfare of Korea has implemented various social security programs to ensure a basic standard of living and raise overall quality of life for all citizens. The Korean social security system provides social insurance, public assistance, and social welfare services. To achieve adequate drug benefits, the Drug Management Department of Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA) implement drug management duties including drug listing, upper price limit setting, scope of benefits, and post-factum management. When a manufacturer or an importer wants to apply for National Health Insurance (NHI) coverage of the drug that has obtained safety and efficacy approval, the pharmaceutical benefit assessment committee of HIRA evaluates the drug's clinical efficacy and cost-effectiveness to determine whether or not to include the drug into the benefit package. The benefit standards for a listed drug (ingredient) are set either for the whole permitted range or a part of range with conditions. To increase the coverage rate for new drugs, the listed drugs are regularly reviewed for their value. The status of listed drugs can be adjusted or eliminated from the benefit package if the clinical efficacy turns out to be insignificant. Therefore, through these pharmaceutical management procedures, high-quality drugs are provided at reasonable prices, which save healthcare expenditure by price determination and selective coverage in consideration of economic evaluation.

• The Korean Society of Law and Medicine
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.3-36
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• 2022

In order to solve the pharmaceutical kickback problem, it is needed to establish legal system that allow ways to enable pharmaceutical promotion of medicines without kickbacks as well as provide sanction those who commit illegal act. Before the National Assembly and the government focused on strengthening sanctions. As a result, in 2014, a system of suspending medical care benefits was introduced, which could inflict heavy losses on pharmaceutical companies by withdrawing target medicines from the market. However, three years after the introduction, the system was abolished in 2018, recognizing the problem that the disposition could infringe on the patients' right to access to and choice of medicines. In 2021, the National Assembly made it possible for dispositions suspending medical care benefits regarding the third violation, which remained symbolic until then, replaced with administrative fines. Although the legislator's reflective stance on the system is more than clear, the Ministry of Health and Welfare still interprets that the old law should be applied to kickbacks for the period of the law. Moreover, regarding the substitution of fines at the discretion of the Minister of Health and Welfare under the old law, the narrow standards taken under the old law seems to be maintained. In this paper, firstly pharmaceutical kickback issue, the main reason for the introduction of the system, will be explained, after that the history of introduction and abolition of the system examined and last but not least the unconstitutionality of the system and the illegality of the disposition are to be examined.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.69-73
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• 2008

To curb a rapid increase in expenditures for pharmaceuticals, the Korean government introduced a positive list system and a negotiation process for drug prices at the end of 2006. Economic evaluation of pharmaceuticals has begun to have a pivotal role in the listing and pricing of drugs for the Korean National Health Insurance. There are some points to discuss regarding the use of economic evaluation in the listing and pricing in the context of the Korean system. First, the listing and pricing processes have been fragmented, evoking complaints from pharmaceutical companies and delaying the access of new drugs to patients. Second, there is a concern that the positive list system may limit the range and availability of drugs for patients to choose for treatment. Third, the time schedule for de-listing of existing drugs may not be realistic. Fourth, it is not always easy to provide reliable evidence of cost-effectiveness due to a lack of materials. Fifth, there is no consensus on the range of the ICER (incremental cost-effectiveness ratio) acceptable to the Korean society. In conclusion, in the near future, it will be necessary to evaluate the achievements that the economic evaluation has provided to the Korean society.