Abstract
Previous research investigating the impact of pharmaceutical innovation in Turkey has shown that the use of newer drugs increased mean age at death by approximately 3 years during the period 1999-2008 and reduced the number of hospital days by approximately 1% per year during the period 2007-2010.
The present study assesses the contribution of pharmaceutical innovation to longevity and hospital use in Turkey during a more recent period (2009-2013), using different longevity measures, and with a different data set. The IMS Health Turkey Medical Prescription Index, which provides detailed diagnosis and treatment profiles of patients treated in outpatient clinics, is used. This enables us to use annual data during the period 2009-2013 on the drugs prescribed by doctors for the treatment of 19 medical conditions to measure pharmaceutical innovation.
Our findings indicate that new technology continued to have a favorable impact on potential years of life lost before age 70, the age-standardized mortality rate, and hospitalization during the period 2009-2013. Pharmaceutical innovation (i.e., the use of newer molecules) decreased premature deaths by 2.2%, the age-adjusted mortality rate by 3.6%, and hospitalization by 7.3%.
Turkish healthcare policy-makers should consider the broader outcomes of restrictions on access to new medicines.