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jeudi 20 juin 2019

Advantages Of International Reference Pricing China And Japan

By Betty Sanders


The last few decades have seen the cost of health care rise to scales that have never been witnessed in modern history. As healthcare is increasingly privatized, the costs of medicine continue to rise. Most governments have been forced to come up with a standard that helps control these prices while ensuring that all parties win. For the positive contributions of International Reference Pricing China and Japan are great examples. There is a lot that can be learned from this system as has been witnessed by these two countries.

Cost of health care is streamlined. No country wants its people to cross the border for treatment. Hence, countries work hard to ensure that their services cost relatively the same or cheaper than the neighboring countries. By using the IRP, the two countries can, therefore, ensure that similar drugs are relatively priced across the region.

There is greater market access. Streamlining of prices not only removes disparities, but also increases the range of reach of drugs. Japan and China can trade the same drug across their borders at relatively the same cost. Hence, companies can focus on producing high-quality medicines rather than just competing for markets.

Companies no longer have monopoly over prices. While drug manufacturers still hold a considerable grip on the price rod, they are no longer lone rangers in the game. There are deep consultations and clear guidelines on prices. Hence, they should already know how much a particular drug is likely to cost even before it is released to the market.

Patients also stand to get better treatment. Most patients keep away from hospitals because they know that costs are way beyond their reach. However, when prices are capped, there is a maximum amount that the patent can spend. This will increase their confidence in treatment and increase access.

Referencing is critical in reducing the prices of medicines. There are many ways in which governments can regulate the costs of medicines. However, IRP is found to be the most suitable because it considers several issues to ensure that while patients benefit, the manufactures also do not lose.

This is a relatively simple method. For the implementation of this system, countries only need little information such as the costs of the same medicines in other countries. The countries used for referencing are normally those that share similar economic environments or geographic similarities. It is assumed that referencing countries have fairer and competitive prices.

The system is easy to implement. The most important tool in the implementation of this system is communication. Once the relevant IR policies have been developed, they only need to be communicated to the drug manufacturers and other stakeholders for implementation to begin. This is not only easy, but also cheap.

Over the years, the IRP has gained increased usage. It is mostly used in Asia but is also dominant in Europe. The United States is also considering its adoption. As this growth is witnessed across the globe, there is a lot that other countries can learn from China and Japan.




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