Abstract
In Iceland, drugs provided in hospitals during regular inpatient care are free of charge to the patients but outside institutional care fall under the State Social Security Institute's budget. This article details the measures taken to control drug costs and their impact in Iceland. The cancellation of reimbursement for antibiotics in 1991 resulted in a slight decrease in sales. The change in the list of "hospital only" medicines caused massive protests from pharmacists and physicians. The pharmaceutical policy in Iceland has been problematic in its formulations and implementations. Recommendations in the light of the problems of Icelandic pharmaceutical policies have been provided in the article.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Journal | Journal of Pharmaceutical Finance, Economics and Policy |
| Volume | 12 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| Pages (from-to) | 1-21 |
| Number of pages | 21 |
| ISSN | 1538-5698 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Dec 2003 |
Keywords
- Antibiotics
- Benzodiazepines
- Drug formulations
- Iceland
- Pharmaceutical policy