Objective: The government is promoting generic drugs to increase their usage rate to 80% and thereby reduce medical costs. In October 2014, the usage share of generic drugs at the University of Miyazaki Hospital was 25.5%. Therefore, this study focuses on the spread of generic drugs by utilizing the medical supply, processing, and distribution (SPD) system.
Methods: The switch from the original drug to the generic drug was examined using the original simulation tool based on the information obtained from the medical SPD system. The drug cost reduction effect was calculated monthly, by multiplying the drug price difference between the generic and the original drugs by the amount used. The survey period was from October 2014 to July 2018.
Results: The share of generic drugs used reached 82.9% (cutoff value 50.8%) in October 2016, by switching from 278 original drugs. In July 2018, there was a switch from 315 original drugs and achieved 87.9% (cutoff value 56.5%) of generic drugs used. The cumulative total of drug cost reductions was JPY 235,670,518.
Conclusion: The monitoring and evaluation of generic drugs through the medical SPD system were useful for promoting generic drugs and thereby reducing drug costs.
