Benefits Of International Reference Pricing China And Japan

By Betty Sanders


The ever-escalating cost of healthcare has made it difficult for most people to access health care services. Governments are, therefore forced to step in and control prices to ensure universal access. Various strategies can be used to determine the cost of medicines, and IRP is an emerging system in this sector. When it comes to International Reference Pricing China and Japan stand to gain a lot due to their economic and geographic similarities. For more details on how these two countries can benefit from this system, read on.

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 increased market access. The system indicates clearly the amount the patient is allowed to pay. Any excesses are handled by the government or insurance agents, depending on the country's policies. This encourages people to seek medical services as they are certain that they will not be left penniless by the time they come back from the hospital.

The control of drug manufacturers on the prices of medicines is eliminated. A capitalistic system, such as what the drug market is, can be cannibalistic. For example, drug manufacturers may escalate process, not because of high production costs but simply because they are dominant and can dictate prices. Such a scenario would play against the government's interest in providing universal access to healthcare.

Treatment benefits to patients are enhanced. When prices are set, patients can get treatment, knowing very well the costs they will incur. However, it is important to note that not all medicines are placed under the IRP. Only certain types or classes of drugs are referenced. These are mainly drugs that are of significance to each country.

The prices for medicines have been reduced greatly. In any system where there is control on pricing, finding a method that benefits everyone is never easy. However, the IRP ensures that drug manufacturers get their work's worth, and patients get value for their money. This has greatly curtailed the prices.

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.

Implementation of the system is fairly easy. Some systems, such as the economic evaluation require a lot of technical analysis for values to be attained and for implementation to be successful. With IRP, on the other hand, implementation can be done even with little resources. All that is required is to pass the information to policy-makers and regulators.

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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