한국 의약품 標準小賣價制度에 관한 硏究

Abstract

The objectives of this study are: (1) to examine whether the current retail price system of medicines in Korea has been effectively worked for last eight years, (2) to empirically factor out the problems in the Standard Retail Price System of Medicines (hereafter, SRPSM) in Korea by a questionnaire survey to retailers, (3) to suggest the ways to improve current price systems for the re-establishment of the SRPSM.

In order to achieve these objectives, Chapter Ⅱ and Ⅲ review distribution mechanisms of the medicines, the evolution of SRPSM, and the current SRPSM, in status quo. Chapter Ⅳ analyzes the results of surveys and factors out some operational problems perceived by the retailers and Chapter Ⅴ summarizes the problems of the system inherent in the SRPSM as well as operational problems of the system revealed from the survey results and suggests how to improve the current system.

The surveyed questions include: (1) the effectiveness of SRPSM, (2) the degree to which retailers and consumers perceive the current SRPSM, (3) the standard marginal rate of distribution under the current SRPSM and profitability of retailers according to the store location, (4) the problems perceived by the consumers or retailers, and (5) the ways to improve the system, etc.

The SRPSM has been enforced since 1984 by the Korean government in order to re-establish the distribution system of medicine due to the following reasons prevailed during 1960-1980: ① over-production of medicinal supplies by the medicine producers, ② diversified marketing channel for similar medicines, ③ entrance of large-scaled retail stores to the market, ④ reduction of wholesaler’s function, ⑤ over-supply of licensed pharmacists, ⑥ severe price competition among retailers like licensed pharmacists, ⑦ distrust of medical industry by the consumers.

It is undeniable that the SRPSM continues in the following respects: (1) to correct excessive expression of medicine price and thus to stabilize the retail price of medicines, (2) to reduce speculative demand for a certain medicines, and (3) to protect mis-use and over-use of medicines. However, the SRPSM itself possess several inherent problems and thus it does not work effectively up to now.

The inherent problems factored out in Chapters Ⅱ and Ⅲ are as follows: (1) the establishment of a uniformed standard marginal rate of distribution, (2) frequent changes of the standard-retail price, (3) various price levels among similar medicinal supplies of the same component from originals, etc. In order to resolve these inherent problems, the paper suggests a separation of the standard marginal rate of distribution between wholesalers and retailers instead of using a uniformed standard marginal rate of distribution under the current SRPSM.

The operational problems revealed by the survey results in Chapter Ⅳ are as follows: (1) violence in pricing by the large-scaled stores, (2) insufficient oversight by the government on the SRPSM, (3) diverse margin levels prevailed in the system, (4) dominance of medicine producers on pricing a newly developed product, etc. A suggested way to resolve these operational problems is to expand the current standard marginal rate of distribution beyond 30%-35%.