Japanese Health Ministry asks local govts to promote generics via patient card

The Health Insurance Bureau of Japan's Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare asked the prefectural governments to provide "a card for  preference to generic drugs," to patients covered by the National Health  Insurance systems that are run by towns and cities under the control of  the local authorities. The request was in the form of an official  notification because the use of copy medicines, which have been  promoted by the federal government (Marketletters passim), has not come  about as widely and swiftly as expected.

Cost to be subsidized

This would allow patients to be prescribed and/or dispensed generic  drugs when the person shows the card to physicians and/or pharmacists  without expressing their wish to have the non-branded product. The card  should say: "I want to have generic drugs," or "Preference for proper  generic drugs." The MHLW calls on the prefectural authorities to  distribute the card to all insured people. The government will  subsidize the costs for making, distributing and promulgating the card  to municipalities.