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Comparative Study
. 2016 Dec 19:12:27-33.
doi: 10.2147/COPD.S121687. eCollection 2017.

Trend of cost and utilization of COPD medication in Korea

Jongmin Lee  1 , Jae Ha Lee  1 , Jee-Ae Kim  2 , Chin Kook Rhee  1
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Trend of cost and utilization of COPD medication in Korea

Jongmin Lee et al. Int J Chron Obstruct Pulmon Dis. .

Abstract

Background: There are only a few longitudinal studies regarding medical utilization and costs for patients with COPD. The purpose of this study was to analyze the trend of medical utilization and costs on a long-term basis.

Methods: Using the Korean Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA) data from 2008 to 2013, COPD patients were identified. The trend of medical utilization and costs was also analyzed.

Results: The number of COPD patients increased by 13.9% from 2008 to 2013. During the same period, the cost of COPD medication increased by 78.2%. Methylxanthine and systemic beta agonists were most widely prescribed between 2008 and 2013. However, inhaled medications such as long-acting beta-2 agonist (LABA), long-acting muscarinic agonist, and inhaled corticosteroid plus LABA were dispensed to a relatively low proportion of patients with COPD. The number of patients who were prescribed inhaled medications increased gradually from 2008 to 2013, while the number of patients prescribed systemic beta agonist and methylxanthine has decreased since 2010.

Conclusion: This study shows that there is a large gap between the COPD guidelines and clinical practice in Korea. Training programs for primary care physicians on diagnosis and guideline-based treatment are needed to improve the management of COPD.

Keywords: chronic obstructive; drug prescriptions; medical cost; medical utilization; pulmonary disease.

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Conflict of interest statement

CKR received consulting/lecture fees from MSD, Astra-Zeneca, Novartis, GSK, Takeda, Mundipharma, Sandoz, Boehringer-Ingelheim, and Teva-Handok. The other authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Change in the number of LABA prescriptions over the 6 years. Abbreviation: LABA, long-acting beta-2 agonist.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Change in the number of LAMA prescriptions over the 6 years. Abbreviation: LAMA, long-acting muscarinic antagonist.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Change in the number of ICS prescriptions over the 6 years. Abbreviation: ICS, inhaled corticosteroid.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Change in the number of ICS + LABA prescriptions over the 6 years. Abbreviations: ICS, inhaled corticosteroid; LABA, long-acting beta-2 agonist.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Change in the number of PDE-4 inhibitor prescriptions over the 6 years. Abbreviation: PDE-4, phosphodiesterase-4.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Change in the number of LTRA prescriptions over the 6 years. Abbreviation: LTRA, leukotriene receptor antagonist.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Change in the number of OCS prescriptions over the 6 years. Abbreviation: OCS, oral corticosteroid.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Change in the number of SABA prescriptions over the 6 years. Abbreviation: SABA, short-acting beta-2 agonist.
Figure 9
Figure 9
Change in the number of SAMA prescriptions over the 6 years. Abbreviation: SAMA, short-acting muscarinic antagonist.
Figure 10
Figure 10
Change in the number of SABA + SAMA prescriptions over the 6 years. Abbreviations: SABA, short-acting beta-2 agonist; SAMA, short-acting muscarinic antagonist.
Figure 11
Figure 11
Change in the number of methylxanthine prescriptions over the 6 years.
Figure 12
Figure 12
Change in the number of systemic beta agonist prescriptions over the 6 years.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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