Costs of pharmaceutical care: can the profession do anything?

OBJECTIVE

To review some of the factors that influence the cost of pharmaceuticals and the delivery of pharmaceutical care as well as some possible measures for decreasing these costs.

DATA SYNTHESIS

Clinical studies have been selected to illustrate factors that may add to the overall cost of pharmaceutical care.

CONCLUSIONS

Because of the perceived problems resulting from the introduction of new, expensive pharmaceuticals, possible means of controlling the costs of individual products are discussed. In addition, recommendations for achieving cooperation between pharmaceutical manufacturers and pharmacy practitioners in demonstrating the cost-effectiveness of new products are provided.