• Health Policy and Management
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.40-59
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• 2005

The objective of this paper is to examine what impact the newly introduced Purchasing Price Reimbursement System, where insurance drugs are reimbursed at the prices as they were purchased by medical care providers under the maximum allowable cap, has upon the health insurer's financing situation. The impact of the Purchasing Price Reimbursement System is considered to be confined mainly to the inpatient department among three drug reimbursement fields such as inpatient department, out-patient department and pharmacy. Hypothesis was set and tested in this study for each of three components of inpatient drug reimbursement in health insurance, i.e. average price level, composition of drugs and their overall volume. Drug price level calculated in this study from 403 selected reimbursement drugs according to the Laspayres methodology revealed faster decline under the new Purchasing Price Reimbursement System than previously by $1.53\%$ on the annual average basis. However, additional 1.4 percent financial burden in the ratio of the total inpatient reimbursement was owed by the health insurer. This was analysed to be a combined result of both 2.0-3.1 percent of reduced reimbursement due to drug price decline and 3.4-4.5 percent of additional reimbursement due to drug volume increase. These results suggest that recalling the Purchasing Price Reimbursement System would not have so much impact upon the health insurer's financial situation given that the current compulsory separation between doctor's prescribing and pharmacist's dispensing is irrevocable.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.246-252
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• 1997

This study was performed to evaluate antiulcer effects of traditional folk medicines such as heat-treated acumen, halloysitum rubrum and os sepiae against stomach ulcer induced by acetic acid in Sprague-Dawley rats. Various pharmacological parameters were utilized to compare the antiulcer effects of aforementioned drugs based on the size of ulcer lesion, pepsin activity, free and total acidity, gastric secretory volume, and 5-HT (hydxoytrytamine) content. All folk medicines and ranitidine as control drus were shown to decrease ulcer lesion size after 5-day treatments, with the order of halloysitum rubrum, os sepiae, heat-treated acumen and ranitidine. All treated drugs except os sepiae inhibited the gastric volume as compared with that in the control group. Ranitidine most significantly inhibited the gastric volume. All the experimented drugs in this study lowered the gastric acidity. Halloysitum rubrum decreased it most remarkably, followed by ranitidine, os sepiae and heat-treated alumen after 5-day treatments. All used drugs alleviated the pepsin activity as compared with the control group, os sepiae being the highest then halloysitum rubrum, heat-treated alumen and ranitidine in turn. Heat-treated alumen and halloysitum rubrum showed mucin production to the great extent, and ranitidine had slight increasing effect thereon. At the end of observation period, all drugs except ranitidine increased 5-HT contents as compared to the normal group. From the above results, we could confirm the folk medicines such as heat-treated alumen, halloysitum rubrum and os sepiae have not only remarkable antiulcer effects but also preventing effects for the stomach ulcer recurrence, which suggest the experimented folk medicines could be developed as new antiulcer agents.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.58 no.2
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• pp.107-111
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• 2014

Unused medication disposal is a problem due to the cost of disposing as well as potential risk of inadvertent dosing. Investigating medication returns is expected to suggest areas for targeting interventions to reduce medication waste. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine types of medications and identify the expiration date of the medications returned to the community pharmacies through "Drug-Take Back" program. Method: From October 10, 2012 to November 14, 2012, the medications returned to the 58 community pharmacies in Korea were examined. Results: A total of 22,160 g of pill medications were collected; 52.8% for prescription drugs and 47.2% for non-prescription drugs, respectively. The weight of the expired pill medications was more than 5 times that of the non-expired pill medications. On the other hand, 6,168 ml of liquid medications were returned; 80.0% for prescription medication and 20.0% for non-prescription medications, respectively. Of the total oral liquid medications, the volume of the expired medications was more than 5 times that of the non-expired medications. Conclusion: The majority of medications returned to the community pharmacies were prescription drugs rather than non-prescription drugs. In addition, most of the drugs were expired when they returned.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.88-93
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• 1987

Chitosan ($\beta$-D-glucosaminan) is chemically prepared from chitin (N-acetyl-$\beta$- D-glucosaminan) which is an unutilized natural resource. We now report on the suitability of the chitosan matrix for use as vehicles for the controlled release of drugs. Salicylic acid and aspirin were used as model drugs in this study. The permeation of salicylic acid in the chitosan membranes was determined in a glass diffusion cell with two compartments of equal volume. Drug release studies on the devices were conducted in a beaker containing 5% sodium hydroxide solution. Partition coefficient (Kd) value for acetate membrane (472) is much greater than that for fluoro-perchlorate chitosan membrane (282). Higher Kd value for acetate chitosan membrane appears to be inconsisstent with the bulk salicylic acid concentration. The permeability constants of fluoro-perchlorate and acetate chisotan membranes for salicylic acid were 3.139 ${\times}10^{-7}cm^2$ min up to 60 min and that of 30% aspirin in the devices was 4.739${\times}10^{-7}cm^2$sec upto 60 min. As the loading dose of aspirin in a chitosan device increased, water up-take of chitosan device increased, but in case of salicylic acid it decreased. The release rate increased with increase in the molecular volume of the drugs. Thses result suggest that the release mechanism may be controlled mainly by diffusion through pores.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.49-54
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• 1986

Effect of sodium taurodeoxycholate (TDC) infused intravenously on the pharmacokinetics of methylene blue (MB) was studied in the rat to investigate the role of ion-pair complexation in the body on drug elimination and disposition. Distribution volume (Vd) of MB was increased significantly (p< 0.05) by TDC infusion. Considering together with the fact that apparent partition coefficient (APC) of MB between phosphate buffer (pH 7.4) and n-octanol was increased markedly by TDC, the increase in Vd seemed to be the result of decreased polarity of MB by ion-pair formation with TDC. But total body clearance (CLt) and biliary excretion clearance (CLbil) of MB were not increased significantly by TDC.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.389-398
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• 2016

Korea, China and Japan have developed individually their own official compendia for crude drugs to tune with the times. Recent globalization has enlarged trade volume among these countries, and so the necessity for new quality standards has increased. This study was accomplished to offer basic data and appropriate suggestions to rebuilding standard principles for quality control of crude drugs in Korean official compendia. For this, seven standard items related to quality control in official compendia of these countries were compared. The items were identification, loss on drying, total ash, acid-insoluble ash, extract content, essential oil content and assay. The official compendia of three countries were the Korean Pharmacopoeia Eleventh Edition, the Korean Herbal Pharmacopoeia 2015, Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2015 and Japanese Pharmacopoeia Seventeenth Edition. Based on this basic research, new principles for each standard of crude drugs were suggested.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.89-96
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• 2013

This article aimed to introduce 'risk sharing' schemes for pharmaceuticals between drug manufacturers and healthcare payer. Published literature review was undertaken to summarize risk sharing concepts and collect information on existing scheme examples in other countries focusing on new anticancer drugs. Risk sharing schemes could be categorized into health outcomes-based and non-outcomes (financial) based ones. Outcome-based schemes could be broken down into performance-linked reimbursement and conditional coverage. Performance-linked reimbursement can be further broken into outcomes guarantee and pattern or process of care and conditional coverage included coverage with evidence development and conditional treatment continuation schemes. Non-outcome based schemes included market share and price volume at population level, and utilization caps and manufacturer funded treatment initiation at patient level. We reviewed the fifteen examples for anticancer drugs that risk sharing agreements in response to the inherent uncertainties and increased costs of eleven anticancer drugs. Of them, eight cases were coverage with evidence development schemes. The anticancer drugs except bevacizumab and cetuximab were all listed on the national health insurance formulary in Korea, with reimbursement criteria defined on the basis of approved indications and administrations. Risk sharing approach may be a useful tool to ensure values for drug expenditure, but there are a number of concerns such as high administration costs, lack of transparency and conflicts of interest, especially for performance-based health outcomes reimbursement schemes.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.155-162
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• 1999

This study was performed to assess that clinco-therapeutic effect of natural Italian honeybee (Apis mellifera) venom in adjuvant-induced arthritic rat. Ninety Sprague- Dawley rats of male were injected with complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA). Adjuvant arthritis was produced by a single subcutaneous injection of 1 mg Mycobacterium butyricum suspended in 0.1 ml paraffin oil into the right hindpaw. Righting reflex was uniformly lost and considered to be the point of arthritis development on day 14 after CFA injection. Experimental groups were divided into three groups. When arthritis was developed in the rat hind-paw, tested groups were administrated with prednisolone (10 mg/kg, p.o) and honeybee venom (one bee, s.c) at an interval of two days. Control group was subcutaneously injected with 0.1 ml of physiological saline solution in the rat at an interval of two days. Clinical findings, hematological values and histopathological findings were observed during or after the drugs administration. In tested groups, the development of inflammatory edema and polyarthritis on day 14 after treatment was suppressed. No significant differences of hindpaw edema volume and lameness score between prednisolone and honeybee venom groups were observed during or after therapeutic drugs treatment. WBC counts of prednisolone and honeybee venom treatment groups as compared with the control group were getting remarkably decreased during or after the therapeutic drugs administration(p＜0.01). Erosions of articular cartilage and inflammatory cell infiltrations during or after the therapeutic drugs treatment was effectively suppressed in natural honey venom.

• Korean Journal of Oriental Medicine
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.63-72
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• 2004

The decocting method of herbal medicines is various with a prescription or herbal medicine's characteristics. But it has common principles by which effective elements can be easily extracted with synergistic actions of herbs and which the therapeutic effect of a medicine is amplified. When decocting a herbal medicine, the volume of water is an important factor. Fire for decocting drugs and decocting time are also important factors. The excessive water and unproper decocting time and temperature can reduce the effect of the decoction. Besides a better decoction can be obtained by squeeze. According to herbal medicine's characteristics and prescription, there are herbs that should be treated after a specific method. For example, decoct first and decoct later. It also affects the therapeutic if a right taking method is not carried out. Methods of taking drugs include both the time and the method. We can confirm these decocting and taking methods in the ancient medical literatures of herbal medicine. This article deals with these things in detail.

• 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.