Potential savings from increased use of generic drugs in the elderly: what the experience of Medicaid and other insurance programs means for a Medicare drug benefit
Potential savings from increased use of generic drugs in the elderly: what the experience of Medicaid and other insurance programs means for a Medicare drug benefit
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DOI：
10.1002/pds.872
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发表时间：
2004-04-01
影响因子：
2.6
通讯作者：
Avorn, J
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Fischer, MA;Avorn, J
背景仿制药以比品牌药物更低的成本提供相同的临床效果，但对为老年人服务的药物福利计划实现这种节省的程度知之甚少。方法使用一个州医疗补助计划和一个非医疗补助老年人药物保险计划中65岁或以上参与者的患者级别索赔数据，我们比较了每个计划中品牌药物处方的支出与相同药物的仿制药版本所支付的金额。结果老年医疗补助计划和老年非医疗补助药品保险计划每年分别节省340万美元(占药品总支出的3.6%)和1370万美元(占药品总支出的9.5%)，人均年药费相应降低。结论仿制药的广泛使用是老年药品保险计划未实现节省的重要来源。医疗补助计划通过实施定价限制来限制品牌药物的过度支出，但许多非医疗补助计划可以通过在有相同的仿制药可用时减少品牌药物的使用来实现更大的节省。这些发现为医疗保险处方药福利的潜在支出提供了一些洞察。版权所有(C)2003 John Wiley Sons，Ltd.
Background Generic medications provide the same clinical effect at lower cost than brand name drugs but little is known about the extent to which such savings are achieved in drug benefit programs serving the elderly.Methods Using patient-level claims data for participants aged 65 or more in one state Medicaid program and in a non-Medicaid drug insurance program for the elderly, we compared the expenditures in each program for brand name prescriptions with the amount that would have been paid for generic versions of the same agents. We then estimated potential savings from increased use of substitutable brand name drugs.Results There was an unrealized annual savings of $3.4 million (3.6% of total drug expenditure) in the Medicaid program studied and $13.7 million (9.5% of total drug expenditure) in the non-Medicaid drug insurance program for the elderly, with corresponding reductions in mean annual per-patient drug costs.Conclusions More widespread use of generic medications represents an important source of unrealized savings in drug coverage programs for the elderly. The Medicaid program limits the excess spending on brand name drugs by imposing pricing restrictions, but many non-Medicaid programs could realize even larger savings from reducing the use of brand name drugs when identical eneric products are available. These findings offer some insight into the potential expense of a Medicare prescription drug benefit. Copyright (C) 2003 John Wiley Sons, Ltd.