Abstract
The aging population and the increasing availability of new medical technologies, particularly pharmaceuticals, have led to growing pressure on governments worldwide to contain healthcare costs. Increasingly, economic evaluation is used to aid decisions on the reimbursement and formulary access of drugs, and pharmaceutical companies are often required to demonstrate the cost effectiveness of their products. Canada and the UK are examples of countries that have successfully incorporated mandatory requirements for economic evaluations into the decision-making process in healthcare.
Japan faces cost-containment issues for its health and welfare system similar to those seen elsewhere in the world. Despite this, economic assessments are not currently used in the allocation of drug budgets. Reasons why economic evaluations for healthcare have not yet been used routinely in Japan include governmental approaches to healthcare cost containment, the pricing of pharmaceuticals, the organisation of the healthcare system, attitudes of the medical profession, and limited knowledge and expertise. However, small but encouraging steps are now being taken towards the introduction of economic evaluations in Japanese medicine.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Drummond M, Dubois D, Garattini L, et al. Current trends in the use of pharmacoeconomics and outcomes research in Europe. Value Health 1999; 2 (5): 323–32
Canadian Coordinating Office for Health Technology Assessment (CCOHTA). Guidelines for the economic evaluation of pharmaceuticals. 1st ed. Ottawa: CCOHTA, 1994
Glennie JL, Torrance GW, Baladi JF, et al. The revised Canadian guidelines for the economic evaluation of pharmaceuticals. Pharmacoeconomics 1999; 15 (5): 459–68
Nishimura S, Torrance GW, Ikegami N, et al. Information barriers to the implementation of economic evaluations in Japan. Pharmacoeconomics 2002; 20 Suppl. 2: 9–15
Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Health Datafile. Paris: OECD, 2001
Ikegami N, Campbell JC. Health care reform in Japan: the virtues of muddling through. Health Aff 1999; 18 (3): 56–75
Ikegami S, Ikeda S, Kawai H. Why medical care costs in Japan have increased despite declining prices for pharmaceuticals. Pharmacoeconomics 1998; 14 (1): 97–105
Hasegawa T. Comparison of hospital admission rates between Japan and the United States. In: Ikegami N, Campbell JC, editors. Containing health care costs in Japan. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 1996: 101–5
Hamashima C, Ikeda S, Ikegami N. Critical appraisal of pharmacoeconomic studies in Japan. Jpn J Pharmacoepidemiol 1997; 2 (2): 90–101
Ikeda S, Ikegami N, Oliver AJ. A case for the adoption of pharmacoeconomic guidelines in Japan. Pharmacoeconomics 1997; 10: 546–51
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Ikegami, N., Drummond, M., Fukuhara, S. et al. Why Has the Use of Health Economic Evaluation in Japan Lagged Behind that in Other Developed Countries?. Pharmacoeconomics 20 (Suppl 2), 1–7 (2002). https://doi.org/10.2165/00019053-200220002-00001
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2165/00019053-200220002-00001