Finnish Society Gains 2.6 Billion Euros of Value Annually From the Pharmaceutical Work Provided by the Licensed Community Pharmacies

Author(s)

Haikonen-Salo L1, Jalkanen K1, Väätäinen S2, Mankinen P1, Soini E2
1ESiOR Oy, Kuopio, Northern Savo, Finland, 2ESiOR Oy, Kuopio, 15, Finland

OBJECTIVES: Pharmacist owned licensed community pharmacies dispense outpatient medicines in Finland and carry out pharmaceutical work, including self-care and over the counter (OTC) medication counselling, prescription medication counselling, as well as checking prescriptions for errors and medication interactions, and resolving them as needed.

We evaluated the value of pharmaceutical work done in Finnish community pharmacies compared to a counterfactual situation, where pharmaceutical work is not done.

METHODS: The assessment applied the PICOSTEPS analysis and reporting framework and examined modelled annual societal value, provider (wellbeing service counties) savings, and pharmacy customer (patient) savings on public health care services. Analysis was based on an electronic survey with Finnish physicians carried out in spring 2024, public statistics, and publications.

Societal perspective included direct health care costs, absenteeism, and public payer’s value of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) measured as quality-adjusted life years (QALYs). Productivity and HRQoL value gained by the customer, and costs and value from medication, travelling, or time were excluded.

RESULTS: Responding Finnish physicians attributed significant benefits to all four dimensions of pharmaceutical work and 70% of them would keep OTC medicine dispensing in licensed pharmacies.

With conservative valuation of QALYs gained, the estimated annual societal value of pharmaceutical work was 2 599 million euros. The main value driver was self-care and OTC medication counselling (66%) followed by prescription medication counselling (26%) and checking of prescriptions for errors (7%) and interactions (2%). Of the 2 599 million euros value, 47% were due to health benefits, 36% due to health care costs, and 17% due to absenteeism.

The annual health services costs saved by the society, providers, and customers were 950, 855 (3.7% of overall provider budget), and 95 million euros, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS: Community pharmacies create considerable societal value of which around 36% are savings to health care providers and pharmacy customers.

Conference/Value in Health Info

2024-11, ISPOR Europe 2024, Barcelona, Spain

Value in Health, Volume 27, Issue 12, S2 (December 2024)

Code

EE569

Topic

Economic Evaluation, Health Policy & Regulatory

Topic Subcategory

Cost-comparison, Effectiveness, Utility, Benefit Analysis, Novel & Social Elements of Value, Public Spending & National Health Expenditures

Disease

Drugs, No Additional Disease & Conditions/Specialized Treatment Areas

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