Price and welfare effects of a pharmaceutical substitution reform

Posted by D. Daniel Sokol

David Granlund (Department of Economics, Umeå University) explain Price and welfare effects of a pharmaceutical substitution reform.

ABSTRACT: The price effects of the Swedish pharmaceutical substitution reform are analyzed using data for a panel of all pharmaceutical product sold in Sweden in 1997—2007. The price reduction due to the reform was estimated to average 10% and was found to be significantly larger for brand name pharmaceuticals than for generics. The results also imply that the reform amplified the effect of generic entry has on brand-name prices by a factor of ten. Results of a demand-estimation imply that the price reductions increased total pharmaceutical consumption by 8% and consumer welfare by SEK 2.7 billion annually.