Review of Access to High-Cost Essential Medicines through Drug Selection Process of the National List of Essential Medicines in Thailand: Subcategory E (2)

Jutatip Laoharuangchaiyot; Nattiya Kapol

Authors

Jutatip Laoharuangchaiyot Drug Control Division, Thai Food and Drug Administration, Ministry of Public Health
Nattiya Kapol Department of Community Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Silpakorn University

Keywords:

national list of essential medicine, drug selection process, subcategory E (2)

Abstract

Thailand has “the National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM)” as an important tool of the drug system. It is a referenced pharmaceutical benefit package of the public health insurance systems of accessing to essential medicines. This retrospective review aimed to review access to high-cost essential medicines through a drug selection process of subcategory E (2) during 2007-2019, to analyze the developments of drug selection process including stakeholders, and to provide suggestions to stakeholders further developments of the NLEM process. The results found that the subcategory E (2) process enhanced access to high-cost essential medicines through the drug selection process developed and designed specifically for subcategory E (2). The guideline for regulating drug use and the process of determining the affordability and the budget capacity were included to subcategory E (2) selection process. Despite stricter control in drug use and reimbursement of subcategory E (2) compared to other subcategories, many challenges were found. Drug items and indications listed under the subcategory E (2) have been increased with an annual increase of budget. However, the monitoring and evaluation (M&E) of drug use in subcategory E (2) were lacking. Therefore, it is important to suggest development of the national M&E system to be beneficial for policy decision making of access to high-cost essential medicines through the drug selection process of the NLEM.

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