Affordable, appropriately used, effective medicines are key to quality health care and sustainable health systems everywhere. HPI (formerly the Drug Policy Research Group) has established a national and global reputation for pharmaceutical policy research, including investigating the impacts of policy changes on use of medicines, affordability, and clinical outcomes.
In domestic work, Drs. Galbraith, Garabedian, Lu, Ross-Degnan, and Wagner, and are conducting several studies to evaluate the impacts of high deductible health plans and Preferred Drug Lists on medication use and outcomes. (See Health Insurance Systems Research). Drs. Lu, Ross-Degnan, and Wagner lead work on the health and economic impacts for patients and insurers of increased coverage of high-priced medicines for conditions like hepatitis C and cancers. Drs. Ross-Degnan and Soumerai continue longstanding work on underuse of pharmaceuticals and other health services due to cost and food insecurity in the Medicare population.
In decades of global work, frequently conducted with current and former HPI fellows from many countries, Drs. Lu, Ross-Degnan, and Wagner have conducted training programs, developed new methods and data resources appropriate to low resource settings, and collaborated on evaluating pharmaceutical sector interventions in low- and middle-income countries. Dr. Ross-Degnan continues to collaborate in a series of systematic reviews of strategies to improve health worker practices in low- and middle-income countries. Dr. Wagner collaborates with colleagues in China and elsewhere on evaluating marketing authorization, pricing, and reimbursement policies for cancer and other specialty medications.
Selected Publications
Outpatient prescribing pattern for acute bronchitis in primary healthcare settings in China
Cost-related Medication Nonadherence and Its Risk Factors Among Medicare Beneficiaries
Sales of anti-cancer medicines; China, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Philippines and Thailand