後発医薬品の供給体制，医薬品情報，包装単位についての調査

Abstract

We surveyed some significant factors related to the use of generic drugs, such as the stability of supply, the timeliness of package insert revisions, the existence and/or contents of “Interview Forms” (IF), the unit sizes and the locations of marketing offices. The drugs on which information was collected for this survey were 1) those normal carried by our hospital and had generic equivalents, and 2) those among the top 5 products both in terms of the frequency of prescriptions written and in terms of the total value of requested NHI reimbursements.As a result we found the following information on the drugs studies : the products were sold through a direct sales route that did not involve a wholesaler, package inserts were less revised than the original drugs, IFs were not provided or, if they were, the contents were not sufficient (often not even easily obtainable data or references), the smallest unit provided were larger than the original drugs', and the manufacturers of generic equivalents did not have branch offices in the same prefecture as our hospital.The product quality of the drugs remains a very important factor. However, in addition to the price, a stable source of supply for all drugs from which prompt delivery of the drug itself, as well as adequate product information are needed to ensure the safe and appropriate use of the products. As a result of the above investigations, the overall growth of the Generic Drug Market is expected to increase in the near future.