Department of General Practice, RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Dublin 2, Ireland.
School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences, RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Dublin 2, Ireland.
Res Social Adm Pharm. 2022 Oct;18(10):3736-3743. doi: 10.1016/j.sapharm.2022.05.007. Epub 2022 May 11.
Background; There is evidence of significant variation of prescription drug prices in community pharmacies in several countries. Prescription drugs are a major source of expenditure for patients. High prices can lead to cost-related non-adherence and adverse health outcomes. Objective; This study's aim was to establish the variation and availability of prescription drug prices in community pharmacies in Ireland. Methods; Using a cross-sectional design, prices were sought in community pharmacies using phone, email and website enquiries. A purposive sample of 12 prescription drugs was included. The prescription drugs were selected from the top 100 medications by dispensing frequency in 2017 on Ireland's main state drug scheme. For each pharmacy, the price was checked for three drugs only. Researchers sought to contact 1,500 pharmacies by phone and 320 by email, as well as consult the website of 370 pharmacies. Results; In total, 1,529 pharmacies responded to queries, 1,362 by telephone and 167 by email. Overall, 88.5% (N = 1,353) of pharmacies who answered queries, provided prices. For each drug, the average price quoted to researchers was higher than the price paid by the state for patients who can access subsidised medicines. The ratio of 90th to 10th percentile prices ranged from 1.3 to 2.0 for the twelve drugs. A Welch's t-test found that for nine of the 12 drugs, the price was significantly higher (p < .05) for chain pharmacies compared to independent pharmacies. Conclusions; Evidence was found of significant price variation in community pharmacies. There was also evidence that some community pharmacies were not following regulatory guidance on drug pricing transparency. Policy measures such as mandated price transparency, or fixed prescription drug prices could help address these price issues.
在多个国家的社区药店中，存在处方药价格显著差异的证据。处方药是患者支出的主要来源。高价格可能导致与费用相关的不依从和不良健康结果。目的：本研究旨在确定爱尔兰社区药店处方药价格的变化和可及性。方法：采用横断面设计，通过电话、电子邮件和网站查询在社区药店中寻找价格。纳入了 12 种处方药的随机样本。这些处方药是根据 2017 年爱尔兰主要国家药物计划中配药频率最高的前 100 种药物选择的。对于每个药店，仅检查三种药物的价格。研究人员试图通过电话联系 1500 家药店，通过电子邮件联系 320 家药店，并查阅 370 家药店的网站。结果：共有 1529 家药店对查询做出了回应，其中 1362 家通过电话，167 家通过电子邮件。总的来说，88.5%（N=1353）回答查询的药店提供了价格。对于每种药物，向研究人员报价的平均价格高于患者可以获得补贴药物的国家支付的价格。十二种药物中，90 百分位价格与 10 百分位价格的比值范围为 1.3 至 2.0。Welch's t 检验发现，对于 12 种药物中的 9 种，连锁药店的价格明显高于独立药店（p<.05）。结论：证据表明社区药店存在显著的价格差异。还存在一些社区药店没有遵守药品定价透明度监管指导的证据。强制性价格透明度或固定处方药价格等政策措施可能有助于解决这些价格问题。
