Are prescribing doctors sensitive to the price that their patients have to pay in the Spanish National Health System?

Table 2 Price and price differential between prescriptions for pensioners and non-pensioners by pharmacological group.

	Copayment	DDD/1000/year		Price month		Price	%
		Pensioners	Non-pensioners	Pensioners	Non-pensioners	Diff.	Areas
Cardiovascular groups
Beta-blockers	RC	46.08	6.12	9.72	8.78	0.90	80.00
ACEIs & ARBs	RC	326.47	29.99	14.34	13.81	0.54	68.57
Diuretics	RC	113.47	6.74	5.66	5.40	0.26	41.43
Nitrates	RC	53.21	0.82	11.90	12.02	-0.12	40.00
Ca⁺⁺channel blockers	RC	109.35	6.73	17.85	15.89	1.96	98.57
Antiplatelet drugs	FC	98.74	4.96	14.34	11.45	2.89	94.29
Flavonoids	FC	44.06	3.45	7.95	8.46	0.50	50.00
Statines	FC	187.18	17.70	19.84	18.29	1.54	98.57
Psychotropic drugs
SSRIs	RC	98.72	21.99	26.32	26.11	0.21	34.38
Typical antipsych.	RC	5.35	0.25	8.61	8.82	-0.21	39.58
Atypical antipsych.	RC	18.71	2.23	125.24	130.57	-5.33	18.75
MAOIs	RC	0.10	0.02	15.79	14.43	1.35	42.71
Lithium	RC	1.02	0.28	5.62	5.80	-0.18	52.08
Anti-dementia	FC	18.40	0.19	82.18	27.99	54.18	100.00
Hypnotics	FC	69.04	6.04	3.20	3.05	0.14	84.38
Anxiolytics	FC	124.34	19.66	4.46	4.74	-0.28	6.24
Stimulants	FC	0.53	0.61	57.78	52.86	4.92	76.04

ACEI: angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors; ARB: angiotensin receptor blockers; SSRIs: Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors; MAOIs: Monoamine oxidase inhibitors. Copayment: FC if non-pensioners pay a copayment of 40%, RC if non-pensioners pay a reduced co-payment of 10% with a ceiling of €2.64; DDD/1000/year: Daily defined doses dispensed per 1000 people and year; Price: cost of one month of treatment; Price differences: between the monthly cost of treatment between pensioners and non-pensioners; % areas: % of areas with monthly costs of treatment higher in pensioners than in non-pensioners.

ISSN: 1472-6963