The impact of key monitoring policy on the usage of policy-related drugs in Hubei Province, China

Introduction: This study evaluated quantitatively the impact of the first batch of the catalog of Key Monitoring and Rational Use Drugs (KMRUD) in Hubei Province on policy-related drug use and expenditures. Methods: This study is aimed to provide a basis for the successful implementation of subsequent catalogs of KMRUD, which may promote the standardization of clinical application of related drugs and effectively reduce drug expenses of the patients. Data on the procurement records of policy-related drugs from January 2018 to June 2021 were obtained from the Drug Centralized Procurement Platform of the Public Resources Trading Center in Hubei Province. Interrupted time-series (ITS) analysis was used in this study. Results: After the implementation of the first batch of the catalog of KMRUD, the consumption of policy-related drugs decreased by 83.29% in 2020. The spending on policy-related drugs decreased by 83.93% in 2020. The introduction of the first batch of the catalog of KMRUD was associated with a significant decrease in the spending on policy-related drugs in the level (p = 0.001). Before the implementation of the KMRUD catalog policy, the Defined Daily Doses (DDDs) (β(1) = -32.26 p < 0.001) and spending (β(1) = -3662.19 p < 0.001) on policy-related drugs showed a downward trend. In the aggregated ITS analysis, the Defined Daily Dose cost (DDDc) of policy-related drugs decreased significantly in the trend (p < 0.001). After the implementation of the KMRUD catalog policy, the monthly procurement volume of 10 policy-related drugs have a significant downward trend (p < 0.05), and 4 policy-related drugs have a significant upward trend (p < 0.05). Conclusion: After the policy intervention, the total DDDc on policy-related drugs indicated sustained reductions. The KMRUD policy overall achieved the goal of limiting policy-related drug use and controlling cost increases. And it is recommended that the health department quantify the usage indicator of adjuvant drugs, uniform standards, and apply prescription reviews and dynamic supervision, and other measures to strengthen supervision.