The causes and development of health care system costs: The danish experience

In most western countries the cost of health care occupies an increasing share of the available resources in the economy. By analysing the pharmaceutical technology, which is one of the technologies in the health care system, it is demonstrated that this development cannot totally or partially be referred to the cost of medicine. On the contrary, medicine occupies a decreasing share of the total health care cost in most countries. It is shown that in the past the use of medicine has considerably reduced the loss in society by reducing the human sufferings and the economic implications of lost working days. But also today real and potential savings exist. By using Swedish findings in the areas of rheumatic illnesses and gastric ulcers it occurs that large savings can be obtained by reducing the losses due to lost working days. The author calls for a more positive understanding of the pharmaceutical industry and the conditions in which it operates. To achieve this the industry itself must be more open minded.