Abstract
National healthcare costs continue to rise. In recent years, high drug prices of biopharmaceuticals have contributed to increasing medical expenses. Consequently, research and development of biosimilars has been promoted, with the government frequently amending laws to promote their use. To analyze trends in biosimilar usage, we investigated the National Data Base Open Data published by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. Our findings revealed that the prescription volumes of biosimilars showed a year-on-year increase. We hypothesized that the approval and launch dates of biosimilars, along with the introduction of generic drugs, may have affected the percentage of use. Furthermore, the healthcare system revisions implemented in 2022 suggest that the increased usage of biosimilars, such as Darbepoetin Alfa, in FY2022 may have had an impact.
