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A NEW HEALTH TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT SYSTEM FOR JAPAN? SIMULATING THE POTENTIAL IMPACT ON THE PRICE OF SIMEPREVIR

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 May 2017

Jörg Mahlich ,
Isao Kamae  and
Bruno Rossi
Jörg Mahlich
Affiliation:
Düsseldorf Institute for Competition Economics (DICE), Health Economics, Janssen Pharmaceutical KK, jmahlich@its.jnj.com
Isao Kamae
Affiliation:
Graduate School of Public Policy, The Canon Institute for Global Studies
Bruno Rossi
Affiliation:
Bayer Yakuhin, Ltd, European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations
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Abstract

Objectives: Japanese authorities have announced a plan to introduce a health technology assessment (HTA) system in 2016. This study assessed the potential impact of such a policy on the price of the antivirologic drug simeprevir.

Methods: Taking the antivirologic drug simeprevir as an example, we compared the current Japanese price with hypothetical prices that might result if a U.K. (cost-utility) or German (efficiency frontier) style HTA assessment was in place.

Results: The simeprevir unit price under the current Japanese pricing scheme is 13,122 Japanese yen (equivalent to 109.35 U.S. dollars as of April 2015). Depending on the selection of comparators and the pricing method, and assuming that HTA will be used as a basis for price setting, the estimated prices of simeprevir vary up to four times higher than under the current Japanese pricing scheme.

Conclusions: Although the analysis is based on only one drug, it cannot be taken for granted that a new HTA system would reduce public healthcare expenditure in Japan.

Keywords

SimeprevirHealth technology assessmentAntiviral drugsJapan
Type
Policies
Information
International Journal of Technology Assessment in Health Care , Volume 33 , Issue 1 , 2017 , pp. 121 - 127
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2017 

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