%0 Book Section %B England and Germany in Europe – What Lessons Can We Learn from Each Other? %D 2011 %T Adoption of a Cost-Saving Innovation: Germany, UK and Simvastatin %A McGuire, Thomas %A Bauhoff, Sebastian %E Klusen, N., %E Verheyen, F. %E Wagner, C. %X

We examine how the UK and German health care systems responded to a major cost-saving innovation: the availability of generic simvastatin, a cho¬lesterol-lowering drug. In the German Social Health Insurance, the generic’s entry reduced sales volumes for both branded simvastatin (Zocor) and a close substitute, branded atorvastatin (Lipitor/Sortis). In UK, only the sales of branded simvastatin fell whereas the sales of atorvastatin were mostly unaf¬fected. We trace these experiences to institutional differences in the two health care systems and to the structure of patient cost-sharing in particular.

%B England and Germany in Europe – What Lessons Can We Learn from Each Other? %I Nomos Verlag %C Baden-Baden, Germany %P 11-26 %G eng