Having Dr. Ryota Nakamura, Research Fellow, the Center for Health Economics, the University of York, UK, as an invited speaker, the 4th regular seminar was held on September 30th, 2016.
Summary of presentation
Promoting the use of generic drugs is a key for reducing public medical expenditure. In Japan, the government implemented a reform of medical prescription form in April 2008. Before the reform, pharmacists were not allowed to replace a brand-named drug prescribed with a generic alternative without doctors’ permission. After the reform, pharmacists were now allowed to replace unless doctors’ stating otherwise in the prescription form. Using a large scale medical prescription record from Japanese public hospitals 2006-2009, we found that the reform increased the rate of generic drug prescription by about 8%. The implications of the study are the following: 1) the effect of a “choice architecture” can be sustainable at population level; 2) a choice architecture can change professionals’ behavior; 3) promotion of the use of generic drugs can be achieved without using major regulations or economic incentives. |  |
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| Date and time | September 30th (Fri), 2016 16:30-18:00 |
| Venue | Hitotsubashi University, Mercury Tower 3F #3302 |
| Speaker | Ryota NAKAMUR, Research Fellow, Center for Health Economics, University of York, UK (The affiliation will be untl September 30. From October 1st he will be an associate professor of Hitotsubashi Institute for Advanced Study, Hitotsubashi University.) |
| Title | Impact of a `choice architecture’ on medical prescription in Japanese national health insurance system |
| Language | Presentation will be given in English. |