Gradual rise in Japan's generic drug use

Although in Japan the dispensing rate of generic drugs on a prescription basis had risen slightly from 40.2% in January to 41.8% in July 2008,  this has gradually increased from 41.7% in August to 43.9% in December,  according to the results of a usage status survey conducted by the  Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, which was submitted to the  Central Social Insurance Medical Council, the Chuikyo.

The survey was conducted among 944 health insurance pharmacies, 733  clinics, 326 hospitals, 431 hospital physicians and 1,717 patients.

In the insurance pharmacy survey of December 2008, 44% of pharmacies  said they had dispensed at least one generic drug in all issued  prescriptions, while 56% had not. 65.6% of these pharmacies accepted a  prescription which contained no signature in the column stating "Do not  change to generic drugs." However, among them, 9.1% answered that they  had not substituted because there was no copy version available in  accordance with the specifications in original drugs. Meanwhile, 34.4%  of the pharmacies accepted a prescription which contained a physician's  signature in the above column.