Comparison of Price Index Methods and Drug Price Inflation Estimates for Hepatitis C Virus Medications.

ABSTRACT:

Importance

Measuring drug price inflation is challenging because new drugs continually enter the market, some drugs transition from branded to generic, and current inflation indexes do not account for these market basket changes. Instead, they measure the price increases after new drugs have been launched. Therefore, the public pays the higher costs of newer and usually more expensive drugs, but the inflation indexes do not reflect the increases over existing drugs previously used to treat the same conditions.

Objective

To assess how price index methods can affect estimates of drug price inflation using a case study of hepatitis C virus (HCV) medication and to explore other approaches for constructing a price index.

Design, setting, and participants

This cross-section

SUBMITTER: Mattingly TJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10257099 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature