Evidence map›Paper›PMID 30899555›Full record

ArticleBMJ global health2017

Evaluation of the effects of a generic substitution policy implemented in Chile.

Cristián Mansilla, Jorge Cárdenas, Warren A Kaplan, Veronika J Wirtz, Lucy Kuhn-Barrientos, Matías Ortíz de Zárate, Tatiana Tobar, Cristian A Herrera

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMJ global health, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Cristián MansillaMinisterio de Salud, Gobierno de Chile, Santiago, Chile.ORCID 0000-0003-2377-0094
Jorge CárdenasMinisterio de Salud, Gobierno de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
Warren A KaplanDepartment of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Veronika J WirtzDepartment of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Lucy Kuhn-BarrientosMinisterio de Salud, Gobierno de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
Matías Ortíz de ZárateMinisterio de Salud, Gobierno de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
Tatiana TobarMinisterio de Salud, Gobierno de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
Cristian A HerreraHealth Division, OECD, Paris, Île-de-France, France.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionChile implemented a generic substitution policy in 2014 to improve access to medicines. This study aims to measure if the generic substitution policy had an effect on the sales volume and prices of referent and the branded generic products with demonstrated bioequivalence (BEQ) in the private pharmaceutical market.

methodsThe volume and total private sales of medicines sold at private sector retail outlets between November 2011 and October 2016 were considered in the analysis. We calculated the total number of daily defined doses (DDD) by adding up the number of DDDs of different presentations with the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API). We determined the ratio of the median prices of all BEQ per DDD presentations compared with the median price of the corresponding referent presentations per DDD in 2011 and 2016. Sixteen APIs representing 231 different conventional-release presentations were included in the analysis.

resultsOverall, the volume of sales of the referent products decreased over time after the intervention. However, this reduction was not mirrored by an increase in the corresponding branded generic BEQ volumes overall. In all cases, the median price per DDD of the referent was higher than its BEQ counterpart in 2011 and 2016.

conclusionSince referent products are more costly than branded BEQ generic products, reducing their consumption-and increasing the BEQ availability-should improve access to medicines in Chile. However, this must be accompanied by promotion of BEQ products to ensure savings for consumers in the long term. Future research should focus on identifying facilitating and inhibiting factors of generic substitution.

Indexed as

health policyhealth services researchhealth systemshealth systems evaluationpublic health

Identifiers

PMID30899555
PMCPMC6407566

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.