Japanese Rxs allowing generics now 5.7%

In Japan, only 5.7% of total prescriptions, which enable a physician to check in "an approval column" for generic substitution available, actually made the doctor change brand products to copy drugs, according to a survey to verify the impact on the medical fee revision for fiscal 2006, which was released at the last Chuikyo (the Central Social Insurance Medical Council) meeting.

The usage situation of generic drugs at 635 pharmacies among 1,000 health insurance pharmacies (response rate: 63.5%) was surveyed from October 1 through October 31, 2006, across the nation. "Signed" by a physician in the approved column accounted for 17.1% or 165,402 of 969,365 prescriptions in total. "No signature" in the column accounted for 82.9%, or 803,963.

However, generics were actually prescribed in only 5.7%, or 9,452 of "signed" prescriptions. In 85.7% or 141,672 of the prescriptions, pharmacists did not change brand products to generics. In 8.6% or 14,278 of the prescriptions, generic substitutes were not available because all copy drugs equivalent to the original brand were not listed on the National Health Insurance drug price list. The number of pharmacies which have accepted an"approval sign" in the column on prescriptions totaled 549 (86.5%). Among the 549 pharmacies, those in which substitutes for branded products were actually dispensed numbered 298 (54.2%), the survey found.