The impact of repeated cost containment policies on pharmaceutical expenditure: experience in Spain. 2011

Iván Moreno-Torres, and Jaume Puig-Junoy, and Josep M Raya
Research Centre for Economics and Health (CRES), Department of Economics and Business, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Ramon Trias Fargas 25-27, 34-08005 Barcelona, Spain. ivan.moreno@upf.edu

The growth in expenditure on the financing of pharmaceuticals is a factor that accounts for a large part of the increase in public health spending in most developed countries. In an attempt to kerb this growth, many health authorities, particularly in Europe, have introduced numerous regulatory measures that have affected the market, especially on the supply side. These measures include the system of reference pricing, the reduction of wholesale distributors' and retailers' markups and compulsory reductions of ex-factory prices. We assess the impact of these cost containment measures on expenditure per capita, prescriptions per capita and the average price of pharmaceuticals financed by the public sector in Catalonia (Spain), from 1995 to 2006. We apply an autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) time series model using dummy variables to represent the various cost containment measures implemented. Twelve of the 16 interventions analysed that were intended to contain the overall pharmaceutical expenditure were not effective in reducing it even in the short term, and the four that were effective were not so in the long term, thus amounting to a moderate annual saving.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D011307 Drug Prescriptions Directions written for the obtaining and use of DRUGS. Drug Prescribing,Drug Prescription,Drug Prescribings,Prescribing, Drug,Prescribings, Drug
D011634 Public Health Branch of medicine concerned with the prevention and control of disease and disability, and the promotion of physical and mental health of the population on the international, national, state, or municipal level. Community Health,Environment, Preventive Medicine & Public Health,Environment, Preventive Medicine and Public Health,Health, Community,Health, Public
D003363 Cost Control The containment, regulation, or restraint of costs. Costs are said to be contained when the value of resources committed to an activity is not considered excessive. This determination is frequently subjective and dependent upon the specific geographic area of the activity being measured. (From Dictionary of Health Services Management, 2d ed) Cost Containment,Containment, Cost,Containments, Cost,Control, Cost,Controls, Cost,Cost Containments,Cost Controls
D004345 Drug Industry That segment of commercial enterprise devoted to the design, development, and manufacture of chemical products for use in the diagnosis and treatment of disease, disability, or other dysfunction, or to improve function. Industries, Pharmaceutic,Industry, Drug,Industry, Pharmaceutic,Industry, Pharmaceutical,Pharmaceutical Industry,Drug Industries,Industries, Drug,Industries, Pharmaceutical,Pharmaceutic Industries,Pharmaceutic Industry,Pharmaceutical Industries
D004364 Pharmaceutical Preparations Drugs intended for human or veterinary use, presented in their finished dosage form. Included here are materials used in the preparation and/or formulation of the finished dosage form. Drug,Drugs,Pharmaceutical,Pharmaceutical Preparation,Pharmaceutical Product,Pharmaceutic Preparations,Pharmaceutical Products,Pharmaceuticals,Preparations, Pharmaceutical,Preparation, Pharmaceutical,Preparations, Pharmaceutic,Product, Pharmaceutical,Products, Pharmaceutical
D005102 Health Expenditures The amounts spent by individuals, groups, nations, or private or public organizations for total health care and/or its various components. These amounts may or may not be equivalent to the actual costs (HEALTH CARE COSTS) and may or may not be shared among the patient, insurers, and/or employers. Expenditure,Expenditures, Health,Health Expenditure,Out Of Pocket Expenditure,Out-of-Pocket Cost,Out-of-Pocket Expense,Out-of-Pocket Payment,Expenditures,Expenditures, Direct,Expenditures, Indirect,Expenditures, Out-of-Pocket,Out-of Pocket Expenditures,Out-of-Pocket Costs,Out-of-Pocket Expenses,Out-of-Pocket Payments,Out-of-Pocket Spending,Cost, Out-of-Pocket,Costs, Out-of-Pocket,Direct Expenditure,Direct Expenditures,Expenditure, Direct,Expenditure, Health,Expenditure, Indirect,Expenditure, Out-of Pocket,Expenditure, Out-of-Pocket,Expenditures, Out of Pocket,Expenditures, Out-of Pocket,Expense, Out-of-Pocket,Expenses, Out-of-Pocket,Indirect Expenditure,Indirect Expenditures,Out of Pocket Cost,Out of Pocket Costs,Out of Pocket Expenditures,Out of Pocket Expense,Out of Pocket Expenses,Out of Pocket Payment,Out of Pocket Payments,Out of Pocket Spending,Out-of Pocket Expenditure,Out-of-Pocket Expenditure,Out-of-Pocket Expenditures,Payment, Out-of-Pocket,Payments, Out-of-Pocket,Spending, Out-of-Pocket
D006291 Health Policy Decisions, usually developed by government policymakers, for determining present and future objectives pertaining to the health care system. Health Care Policies,Health Policies,Healthcare Policy,National Health Policy,Care Policies, Health,Health Care Policy,Health Policy, National,Healthcare Policies,National Health Policies,Policies, Health,Policies, Health Care,Policies, Healthcare,Policy, Health,Policy, Health Care,Policy, Healthcare
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D013030 Spain Country located between France on the northeast and Portugal on the west and bordered by the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. The capital is Madrid. Balearic Islands,Canary Islands
D016527 Drug Costs The amount that a health care institution or organization pays for its drugs. It is one component of the final price that is charged to the consumer (FEES, PHARMACEUTICAL or PRESCRIPTION FEES). Cost, Drug,Costs, Drug,Drug Cost

Related Publications

Iván Moreno-Torres, and Jaume Puig-Junoy, and Josep M Raya
October 2022, International journal of health policy and management,
Iván Moreno-Torres, and Jaume Puig-Junoy, and Josep M Raya
January 2012, Value in health : the journal of the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research,
Iván Moreno-Torres, and Jaume Puig-Junoy, and Josep M Raya
September 2003, The European journal of health economics : HEPAC : health economics in prevention and care,
Iván Moreno-Torres, and Jaume Puig-Junoy, and Josep M Raya
January 2000, International journal of health services : planning, administration, evaluation,
Iván Moreno-Torres, and Jaume Puig-Junoy, and Josep M Raya
November 2014, Value in health : the journal of the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research,
Iván Moreno-Torres, and Jaume Puig-Junoy, and Josep M Raya
September 2015, Health policy (Amsterdam, Netherlands),
Iván Moreno-Torres, and Jaume Puig-Junoy, and Josep M Raya
January 1980, The American economic review,
Iván Moreno-Torres, and Jaume Puig-Junoy, and Josep M Raya
May 1980, The American economic review,
Iván Moreno-Torres, and Jaume Puig-Junoy, and Josep M Raya
January 2021, Pharmacy practice,
Iván Moreno-Torres, and Jaume Puig-Junoy, and Josep M Raya
January 2010, Value in health : the journal of the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research,
Copied contents to your clipboard!