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BMC Health Services Research

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Open Access 01-12-2024 | Research

The impacts of national centralized drug procurement policy on drug utilization of medical institutions: an empirical study in a county-level hospital in China

Authors: Haoye Li, Fanyu Lin, Rui Wang, Chenxuan Zhu, Keyao Cao, Yu Chen, Gang Fang, Jiaming Li, Jinxi Ding, Wei Li

Published in: BMC Health Services Research | Issue 1/2024

Abstract

Purpose

Under the background of the regular implementation of the National Centralized Drug Procurement (NCDP) policy, this study aimed to assess the impacts of the NCDP policy on drug utilization of county-level medical institutions, and probe into the influencing factors of the changes in drug utilization.

Method

A pre-post study was applied using inpatient data from a county-level medical institution in Nanjing. Drug utilization behavior of medical institutions of 88 most commonly used policy-related drugs (by generic name, including bid-winning and bid-non-winning brands) was analyzed, and the substitution of bid-winning brands for brand-name drugs after policy intervention was evaluated.

Results

After policy intervention, 43.18% of policy-related drugs realized the substitution of bid-winning brands for bid-non-winning brands (6.82% of complete substitution, 36.36% of partial substitution). Meanwhile, 40.90% of policy-related drugs failed to realize brand substitution. Multiple factors affected brand substitution, including: (1) Policy effect: brand substitution was more obvious after the intervention of the first and third round of NCDP. (2) Drug market competition: the greater the price reduction of bid-non-winning brands, the more the drugs for the same indication, the more likely that medical institutions keep using the same brands as they did before policy intervention. (3) Previous drug utilization of medical institutions: brand substitution was more obvious in drugs with large number of prescriptions and weak preference for brand-name drugs.

Conclusion

The NCDP policy promoted the substitution of bid-winning brands for bid-non-winning brands. However, the NCDP policy remained to be further implemented in county-level medical institutions. Policy implememtation efforts, drug market competition and drug utilization of medical institutions would affect the implementation of the NCDP policy.

It refers to a management platform established by the National Healthcare Security Administration (NHSA)(https://pub.smpaa.cn/login?rn=1). This platform is responsible for managing the entire process of procurement, including tasks such as the submission of procurement requirements from healthcare institutions, prequalification of enterprises, the bidding process and so on.

The price of the bid-non-winning drug is the average DDDc of all non-winning brands in the target medical institutions during research cycle.

West China Hospital of Sichuan University: remaining at its post to fight Covid 19, Anesthesia Surgery Center is in action[EB\OL]http://www.wchscu.cn/detail/65199.html

Published by Taizhou High-tech District: notice of suspending the service of medical institutions including outpatient departments and clinics[EB\OL] https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s?__biz=MzI2NzA5NDk2Ng==&mid=2657311916&idx=4&sn=af74bcce6a9b23dec019d7bf7689b977&chksm=f113e275c6646b63a308fc2762a12820ec6c9c9cccac80d6df878d3f5b235c2238ce4a543dc2&scene=27

commonly-used policy-related drugs: policy-relates drugs whose number of prescription in the research cycle is greater than 20.

Because in the situation of “bid-winning brands were used both before and after policy intervention”, price data of bid-non-winning brands were unavailable. To ensure that the result was reliable, only the price reduction of bid-non-winning brands in the situation of “bid-non-winning brands were used both before and after policy intervention” was evaluated.

Because during the study period, the 5 drugs of “policy-related drugs were used both before and after policy intervention” used bid-winning generic drugs only. Therefore, to ensure that the result was reliable, only the situation of “bid-non-winning brands were used both before and after policy intervention” of no substitution was used to evaluate the preference for brand-name drugs.

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Title: The impacts of national centralized drug procurement policy on drug utilization of medical institutions: an empirical study in a county-level hospital in China
Authors: Haoye Li
Fanyu Lin
Rui Wang
Chenxuan Zhu
Keyao Cao
Yu Chen
Gang Fang
Jiaming Li
Jinxi Ding
Wei Li
Publication date: 01-12-2024
Publisher: BioMed Central
Published in: BMC Health Services Research / Issue 1/2024
Electronic ISSN: 1472-6963
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-024-10964-7

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

Springer Medicine

The impacts of national centralized drug procurement policy on drug utilization of medical institutions: an empirical study in a county-level hospital in China

Abstract

Purpose

Method

Results

Conclusion

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

Springer Medicine

Abstract

Purpose

Method

Results

Conclusion

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