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Optimal price regulations in international pharmaceutical markets with generic competition

Difei Geng and Kamal Saggi ()

Journal of Health Economics, 2020, vol. 71, issue C

Abstract: In a two-country (home and foreign) model in which the home producer of a branded pharmaceutical product faces generic competition in each market, we analyze home's optimal policy choices regarding two major types of price regulations: external reference pricing (ERP) and direct price controls. Home's nationally optimal ERP policy lowers domestic price while maintaining the firm's export incentive. This ERP policy results in a negative international price spillover that the foreign country can (partly) offset via a local price control. Generic competition in either market reduces home's welfare gain from instituting an ERP policy. Weaker competition abroad or a greater weight on firm profits relative to consumer surplus in home's welfare function makes it more likely that home prefers an ERP policy to a price control. While international integration of national generic markets can improve welfare, such is not the case if it causes home to relax its ERP policy.

Keywords: External reference pricing policies; Price controls; Generic competition; Exporting; Welfare (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D42 F10 F12 O34 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:jhecon:v:71:y:2020:i:c:s0167629619303844

DOI: 10.1016/j.jhealeco.2020.102315

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Journal of Health Economics is currently edited by J. P. Newhouse, A. J. Culyer, R. Frank, K. Claxton and T. McGuire

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