Japan’s Prescription Dispensing Costs Increase Six Percent
This article was originally published in PharmAsia News
Executive Summary
Japan's Central Social Insurance Council summarized July 16 electronic receipts of dispensing medical fees for fiscal year 2007.The average medical cost per prescription is ¥7,322, an increase of 5.8 percent compared to previous year. Among the two sections, cost of drugs increased by 7.5 percent to ¥5,387, compared to 1.2 percent increase in technical fees. The cost of drugs directly contributed to the medical cost increases, especially for cardiovascular treatments, which cost ¥1,360 per prescription, a 7.9 percent increase. Hypertension drugs increased 10.9 percent and followed by hyperlipidemia drugs, which increased 8.9 percent. (Click here for more - Japanese language) "Prescription Dispensing Cost Increase Nearly 6 Percent, Reported By Electronic Receipts" - Yakuji News (7/17/08)