Long-term effects of the global budget program and periodic price adjustment on antibacterial agents: A nationwide decomposition analysis between 2001 and 2016

Abstract

Previous studies have shown that financial strategies are beneficial for improving the appropriate use of antibiotics within a limited period of time. Long-term effects have rarely been explored. This study evaluated the changes in expenditure and prescription patterns of antibacterial agents under the global budget (GB) program and drug price adjustment of a National Health Insurance scheme. Two structural methods, that is, the Laspeyres method and Fisher's Ideal Index decomposition method, were used to illustrate the impacts of price, volume, and drug change. During the first 5 years of the GB program (ie, 2001-2006), the expenses of antibacterial agents increased by 54.1%, while the volume decreased by 11% to 21.3%. Therapeutic choice was the predominant cause of expense growth. In the second and third 5-year periods (ie, 2006-2011 and 2011-2016), the driving force of therapeutic choice gradually decreased. The antibacterial expense remained stable with a slight increase in prescription volume. Periodic price adjustment contributed steadily to cost containment, by 21.9% to 39.9%. The GB program led to a remarkable increase in antibacterial expenses mainly attributed to therapeutic choice, especially in the early stage. In contrast, periodic price adjustment, provided steady benefits to pharmaceutical budget control without a noticeable increase in drug volume.