Towards a research agenda for pharmaceutical issues.

Currently, the most important issue in US pharmaceutical policy is probably cost containment. Research into pharmaceutical issues should therefore concentrate on this area. Analysis of changing trends in pharmaceutical expenditures, particularly during the early 1990s, would be a useful starting point. Research into the costs and returns associated with the development of pharmaceuticals, and into the levels, constituent parts, and impact on system costs of pharmaceutical expenditures would also be helpful. Cost-containment systems themselves should also be studied, particularly in terms of how they work, what they cost, what they save, their effects on patients, their effects on patterns of drug diffusion, and their impact on drug research and development as well as on international competitiveness.