From Regulatory Approval to Subsidized Patient Access in the Asia-Pacific Region: A Comparison of Systems Across Australia, China, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, Taiwan, and Thailand

There is consistency across the seven jurisdictions studied in relation to regulatory and subsidized patient access processes-that is, regulatory approval is required before subsidized access review; subsidized access coverage is broad; and the cost of medicine subsidization is offset, in part, by patient co-payments. Although local differences will always exist in relation to budget and pricing negotiation, there may be efficiencies that can be applied across systems to improve time to subsidized access. Closer understanding of regulatory and subsidized access systems can lead to best-practice sharing and, ultimately, timely access and better health outcomes for patients.