Regulatory ambivalence and the limitations of pharmaceutical policy in Spain

Joan Costa and Jaume Puig ()
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Jaume Puig: https://www.upf.edu/web/econ/faculty/-/asset_publisher/6aWmmXf28uXT/persona/id/3418478

Economics Working Papers from Department of Economics and Business, Universitat Pompeu Fabra

Abstract: Broadly speaking, pharmaceutical policy in Spain has been unable to control either the price or the volume of drugs prescribed. Limited attempts have been made to bring together the regulation of the pharmaceutical market and policies, in pursuit of the desired goals of efficiency and quality. This paper assesses the regulation of the Spanish pharmaceutical market over the last two decades by examining regulation and policy and the available empirical evidence on their appreciable effects, and presents recommendations for policy design. Our findings suggest that policies aiming to improve efficiency and quality have not managed to contain costs, while cost-effectiveness is still overlooked. We argue that future policies should encourage broader participation in the decision-making processes and promote a higher degree of competition, especially from generic drugs.

Keywords: Spain; generic penetration; reference pricing; negative lists; pharmaceutical regulation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I18 L51 L52 L65 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2004-06
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-edu, nep-hea, nep-ind and nep-reg
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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Working Paper: Regulatory ambivalence and the limitations of pharmaceutical policy in Spain (2004)
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