Substantial Increase in Accessibility to Essential Anticancer Medicines in Anhui, China: A Longitudinal Study

Abstract

The study aimed to evaluate the change in accessibility of essential anticancer medicines, from 2015 to 2018 in a pilot province for health care reform in China. Data on access to 23 essential anticancer medicines was obtained from 6 provincial tertiary hospitals. A comprehensive analysis was applied to explore these trends. The total utilization of anticancer medicines had increased by an average of 2.57 times ( P < .001) during the study period, of which targeted anticancer medicines had the fastest growth rate of 6.45 times ( P < .001). The prices of all targeted medicines and original brands (OBs) were showing a downward trend, with the average change rate of −32% and −28% respectively (both P < .001). In contrast, the price of non-targeted medicines and lowest-price generics (LPG) increased by an average of 98% ( P < .001) and 117% ( P < .004) respectively. All targeted anticancer medicines were found to be unaffordable under this standard of this study, but the affordability of these medicines is on the rise. The study suggested positive changes in the utilization, price, and affordability of the most essential anticancer medicines. In the future, comprehensive strategies need to be conducted to further increase the affordability of targeted anticancer medicines.