LONDON, Nov 27 (APM) - Germany showed the greatest fall in a report ranking developed countries’ use of branded medicines per capita, published on Thursday.
The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI)-commissioned report also showed the UK was ninth out of 13 countries for use of branded drugs, with France maintaining its position at the top and New Zealand still thirteenth in the data comparing use in 2008/09 and 2012/13.
The report (link below) based on IMS sales data, by the partially pharma-funded Office of Health Economics, showed use of branded medicines in the different countries varied widely by therapy area.
Germany slid down the table in use of cancer hormones, from third to eighth, according to the report, called Independent Comparison of Medicines Usage: Quantitative Analysis,
However compared with other countries Germany became marginally more likely to use cancer drugs approved between six and eight years before date of report compilation - climbing from fourth to third under this measure.
The UK used to be top of the table for use of new acute myocardial infarction drugs, but slipped to eighth, while it rose from fourth to second for use of respiratory distress syndrome drugs.
France slipped from first to fifth in the analysis of use of cancer drugs approved five years or less before compilation.
Commenting on the figures, the ABPI’s director of pricing and reimbursement, David Watson, said they demonstrated the trade body’s well voiced concerns about low uptake of new medicines on the National Health Service.
The ABPI also noted the UK faired poorly in a newly introduced category of diabetes medicines, where it was eleventh on the list.
Watson said: “We are seeing NICE recommended medicines facing further (local) review, restrictions and modifications compared to NICE guidance.”
The rankings are as follows, with 2009 figures in brackets:
France 1 (1), Spain 2 (2), U.S. 3 (3), Austria 4 (5), Italy 5 (6), Canada 6 (10), Switzerland 7 (8), Australia 8 (8), UK 9 (9), Germany 10 (7), Norway 11 (12), Sweden 12 (11), New Zealand 13 (13).
The report updates the 2010 Richards Report examining the causes of variations in medicines' use.
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