A CASE FOR THE ADOPTION OF PHARMACOECONOMIC GUIDELINES IN JAPAN

In recent years, more and more Japanese pharmaceutical companies have been submitting pharmacoeconomic data to the government, following the official request that such data may help in setting pharmaceutical pr ices. The companies have cooperated because, by doing so, they could i nfluence pricing decisions for new products. However, the quality of t hese data at present is considered to be poor and heavily biased. The introduction of pharmacoeconomic guidelines that outline a set of stan dardised factors to be included in evaluations are necessary, so that an appropriate comparison of the cost effectiveness of the many new dr ugs that are introduced into the Japanese market each year can be made . In addition to supporting the development of standardised guidelines , the Ministry of Health and Welfare should clarify how pharmacoeconom ic data are to be used to aid policy decisions and also mandate the pu blication of pharmacoeconomic data.