Economic evaluation of K ampo therapy

Aim The aim of this study was to investigate the current circumstances of pharmacoeconomic evaluation of K ampo therapy, by carrying out qualitative analysis of articles on the economic evaluation of K ampo therapy published over the last 30 years from an evidence‐based medicine viewpoint. Methods The J apan M edical A bstracts S ociety ( JAMAS ) W eb V er. 5 was searched for reports relevant to cost‐effectiveness evaluation in J apan published between 1983 and 2013. Search terms used were ‘ K ampo’, ‘economics’, and ‘cost’. Cited references were also included. Results A total of 22 articles relevant to the economic evaluation of K ampo medicines were extracted. A total of 27 sets of results were ultimately obtained. Of the 27 studies, 16 covered direct costs (pharmaceutical costs only), 7 covered direct costs including non‐pharmaceutical medical costs, and 3 covered direct costs and indirect costs. Costs were reduced by K ampo therapy for 25 studies. Conclusion Many economic evaluation studies of K ampo therapy have small control groups and low evidence levels. The cost‐effectiveness of K ampo medicines needs to be demonstrated through integrated, objective, and proactive evaluations. Implementation of high‐quality economic evaluation studies on various K ampo therapies is therefore needed.