1. Pharmacoeconomics and Health Policy

Abstract

Amidst a global trend towards the introduction of health technology assessment, economic evaluation is becoming a natural process conducted side by side with safety and efficacy evaluations. Every nation faces a difficult situation with regard to healthcare resources. Pharmacoeconomics is employed based on the principle that limited healthcare resources should nonetheless be used as efficiently as possible to further improve a nation's health. The incorporation of pharmacoeconomics in Japan was introduced relatively early, but it is difficult to say that pharmacoeconomics has been actively employed in Japan since its introduction. The evaluation of new healthcare technology based on pharmacoeconomics should be fully debated in tandem with the discussion of the creation of a more sustainable health insurance system.