Hye-Jae Lee1,2,3, Elizabeth E Roughead4, Euna Han5, Jihye Lee6, Lisa Kalisch Ellett4. 1. College of Pharmacy, Woosuk University, Wanju, Republic of Korea. sangtu2@gmail.com. 2. Quality Use of Medicines and Pharmacy Research Centre, UniSA Clinical and Health Sciences, University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA, Australia. sangtu2@gmail.com. 3. National Health Insurance Research Institute, National Health Insurance Service, Wonju, Republic of Korea. sangtu2@gmail.com. 4. Quality Use of Medicines and Pharmacy Research Centre, UniSA Clinical and Health Sciences, University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA, Australia. 5. College of Pharmacy, Yonsei Institute for Pharmaceutical Research, Yonsei University, Seoul, Republic of Korea. 6. National Health Insurance Research Institute, National Health Insurance Service, Wonju, Republic of Korea.
Abstract
PURPOSE: This study aimed to compare the utilization of Alzheimer's disease (AD) treatments, donepezil, galantamine, rivastigmine, and memantine, in Korea with Australia and other countries with universal health coverage. METHODS: Reimbursement criteria and the patent status of four AD treatments in Korea and Australia were reviewed. The monthly spending and utilization of the treatments were extracted from the national electronic database in Korea and Australia. The defined daily dose per 1000 elderly population per day (DDD/1000e/day) were calculated from July 2008 to June 2019. Annual cost trends of Norway and England were compared with Korea and Australia. RESULTS: With the highest share of the use of donepezil in both countries, the cost and utilization of AD treatments in Korea increased more rapidly and remained higher than Australia. The cost of AD treatments in Korea increased by 15.5% every year during the study period, while the spending of the same drugs in Australia decreased by 10.5% annually. The utilization in DDD/1000e/day of AD treatments in Korea increased by 18.3% annually compared with 1.4% in Australia. When compared with Norway and England, countries with similar universal health coverage (UHC) system and elderly polupation, the cost of AD treatments in Korea was still higher with the opposite trend from other countries. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the similar UHC systems, there were considerable differences in the post-market utilization of AD treatments in Korea from Australia and other countries. This results can be attributed to differences in re-assessment system, pricing and reimbursement policies, and prescribing culture. This study provides a baseline to explore more comprehensive cross-country studies on rational use of medicines.
PURPOSE: This study aimed to compare the utilization of Alzheimer's disease (AD) treatments, donepezil, galantamine, rivastigmine, and memantine, in Korea with Australia and other countries with universal health coverage. METHODS: Reimbursement criteria and the patent status of four AD treatments in Korea and Australia were reviewed. The monthly spending and utilization of the treatments were extracted from the national electronic database in Korea and Australia. The defined daily dose per 1000 elderly population per day (DDD/1000e/day) were calculated from July 2008 to June 2019. Annual cost trends of Norway and England were compared with Korea and Australia. RESULTS: With the highest share of the use of donepezil in both countries, the cost and utilization of AD treatments in Korea increased more rapidly and remained higher than Australia. The cost of AD treatments in Korea increased by 15.5% every year during the study period, while the spending of the same drugs in Australia decreased by 10.5% annually. The utilization in DDD/1000e/day of AD treatments in Korea increased by 18.3% annually compared with 1.4% in Australia. When compared with Norway and England, countries with similar universal health coverage (UHC) system and elderly polupation, the cost of AD treatments in Korea was still higher with the opposite trend from other countries. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the similar UHC systems, there were considerable differences in the post-market utilization of AD treatments in Korea from Australia and other countries. This results can be attributed to differences in re-assessment system, pricing and reimbursement policies, and prescribing culture. This study provides a baseline to explore more comprehensive cross-country studies on rational use of medicines.
Entities:
Keywords:
Cholinesterase inhibitors; Dementia; Drug utilization study; Memantine; Post-market review
Authors: Kate Laver; Robert G Cumming; Suzanne M Dyer; Meera R Agar; Kaarin J Anstey; Elizabeth Beattie; Henry Brodaty; Tony Broe; Lindy Clemson; Maria Crotty; Margaret Dietz; Brian M Draper; Leon Flicker; Margeret Friel; Louise Mary Heuzenroeder; Susan Koch; Susan Kurrle; Rhonda Nay; C Dimity Pond; Jane Thompson; Yvonne Santalucia; Craig Whitehead; Mark W Yates Journal: Med J Aust Date: 2016-03-21 Impact factor: 7.738