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A study on the availability, price and affordability of drugs for preventing and treating cardiovascular diseases based on information from online pharmacies in China

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Abstract

Introduction

The price, availability and affordability of drugs used in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease (CVD) when purchased from online pharmacies in China is currently unknown.

Objective

Our objective was to estimate the availability, price and affordability of drugs for the prevention and treatment of CVDs on the basis of information from online pharmacies in China and to provide evidence-based support for improvements to medicine-related policies.

Methods

We estimated the availability, price and affordability of 17 drugs, including their originator brand (OB) and the lowest-priced generic equivalent (LPGE) using the standardized survey method recommended by the World Health Organization and Health Action International. Drug availability was measured as the proportion of online pharmacies providing information on the drug on the day of data collection. We assessed prices by measuring the median price ratio (MPR). Drug affordability was defined as the ratio between the cost of a 30-day supply at the median price and the lowest daily wage of an unskilled government non-technician employee.

Results

The mean availability of OBs and LPGEs from online pharmacies was 47.35 and 70.18 %, and the mean MPR of OBs and LPGEs was 14.7 and 3.4, respectively. In terms of drug affordability, 90 % of OBs had an affordability ratio of >1, whereas 82 % of LPGs had an affordability ratio of <1.

Conclusion

This study provides insight into the availability, price and affordability of 17 drugs for the prevention and treatment of CVDs on the basis of information from 20 online pharmacies in China. Our findings suggest the price of some drugs, especially of OBs, may still be too high. The affordability of OBs is poor, whereas the affordability of most LPGs is good. The government should establish an online payment system and permit patients to pay for online drugs using funds from their healthcare insurance system account. Measures, such as limiting the highest price, should be instituted to regulate the price of OBs. Narrowing the quality gap between OBs and generics is necessary to increase competition. Anti-monopoly laws should be considered to control drug prices.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pharmacy Administration, School of Business Administration, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Wenhua Road, Shenhe District, Shenyang, China

    Qingyu Wang & Yue Yang

  2. Department of Pharmacy Administration, School of Pharmacy, Zhengzhou University, No.100, Kexue Road, Zhengzhou, China

    Qingyu Wang, Yuan Mu & Zhongli Gao

  3. Department of Clinical Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Zhengzhou University, No.100, Kexue Road, Zhengzhou, China

    Hongjuan Wang

  4. Department of Pharmacotherapy, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA

    Yan Cheng

Authors
  1. Qingyu Wang
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  2. Hongjuan Wang
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  3. Yuan Mu
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  4. Yan Cheng
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  5. Zhongli Gao
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yue Yang.

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No funding was received.

Conflicts of interest

Qingyu Wang, Hongjuan Wang, Yuan Mu, Yan Cheng, Zhongli Gao and Yue Yang have no conflicts of interest.

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Wang, Q., Wang, H., Mu, Y. et al. A study on the availability, price and affordability of drugs for preventing and treating cardiovascular diseases based on information from online pharmacies in China. Drugs Ther Perspect 33, 41–46 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40267-016-0354-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40267-016-0354-x

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