TAIWAN TO CURB OVER-PRESCRIPTION OF REIMBURSABLE DRUGS

Taiwan's Bureau of National Health Insurance (NHI) has announced that it will no longer reimburse a number of medicines that it considers are over-prescribed. The NHI plans to bring in a quota system for prescriptions in order to regulate costs.

Among the targeted drugs are two anti-coagulants, Ticilid and Plavix. It is estimated that around 10% of doctors frequently prescribe these drugs to over 67% of their patients.

New NHI regulations will mean that doctors are not reimbursed for prescribing the drugs past the 67% limit. Reimbursement will also be withdrawn if doctors prescribe antibiotics to more than 30% of their patients each month.