In an effort to curb medical costs, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare has set a new goal of increasing the use of cheap generic drugs, or so-called generics, to over 65% in terms of value.
According to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, as of September last year, the usage rate of cheap generics reached over 80% in terms of sales volume, but it remained at 56.7% in terms of value due to the lack of progress in replacing more expensive drugs. I am.
For this reason, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare has set a new goal of raising this ratio to over 65% by the end of fiscal 2029, six years from now.
In order to achieve this goal, we will encourage prefectures to replace expensive drugs with generic ones by providing data on the usage rate of each type of drug. If a patient chooses a brand-name product, the amount they will have to pay at the counter will be increased from October this year.
On the other hand, as some generics continue to be in short supply, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare is requesting manufacturers to increase production in the event of a shortage, calling on medical institutions not to hold more inventory than necessary, and reviewing systems to ensure stable supply. We will continue to consider this.