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http://hdl.handle.net/11375/17151
Title: | International experience with pharmaceutical policy |
Authors: | Willison, Donald J. (Donald Jon) Centre for Health Economics and Policy Analysis |
Keywords: | Economics, Pharmaceutical;Drug and Narcotic Control;Insurance, Pharmaceutical Services;Drug Costs;Prescription Drugs;economics;National Health Programs;Health Expenditures |
Publication Date: | 2001 |
Publisher: | McMaster University, Centre for Health Economics and Policy Analysis |
Series/Report no.: | CHEPA working paper series 01-08 |
Abstract: | Pharmaceuticals are the focus of increased scrutiny by public insurers. Between 1985 and 1998, drug expenditure in Canada increased by 226%-approximately double the increase in total expenditure on health. Prescribed and non-prescribed drugs now comprise the second-largest share of health care expenditures after hospitals, surpassing physicians' services. The National Forum on Health called for common strategies across the provinces, to manage pharmaceuticals from a health policy perspective. At the same time, the federal government and several provinces are interested in promoting pharmaceutical research and development (R&D), as part of the advancement of a knowledge-based economy. In the past, debates about pharmaceutical policy centred on the balancing of cost-containment and access to needed pharmaceuticals. The creation of an environment more conducive to attracting pharmaceutical R&D introduces additional tensions that will, no doubt, require concessions in current policies to manage pharmaceutical expenditures. In addition, a significant R&D investment will have predictable "downstream" effects on other sectors, such as academic research. In this study, we describe the experience of 7 Western industrialized countries in controlling pharmaceutical budgets while maintaining access to medically necessary prescription medications. In addition, we describe the potential impact of these policies on pharmaceutical R&D and the efforts of these countries to create a favourable climate for fostering R&D within their borders. We identify tensions that arise between health policy and industrial policy goals, and broad questions of directions and choices. |
Description: | Donald J. Willison. Bibliography: p. 30-35. Also available via World Wide Web. |
URI: | http://www.chepa.org/portals/0/pdf/01-08.pdf http://hdl.handle.net/11375/17151 |
Appears in Collections: | CHEPA Working Paper Series |
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