薬価、来年度引き下げへ　実勢価格が６％下回る―厚労省調査

　厚生労働省は１日、２０２４年度診療報酬改定に向けた薬価調査結果（速報値）を中央社会保険医療協議会（厚労相の諮問機関、中医協）に報告した。今年９月分の取引の集計で、医療機関が卸から仕入れる薬の市場実勢価格が、公定価格の「薬価」を平均で約６．０％下回った。これを踏まえ、政府は薬価を引き下げる方針だ。
　診療報酬は病院や薬局が提供する医療サービスに支払われる公定価格で、医師らの技術料に当たる「本体」と薬の公定価格「薬価」で構成。薬の市場価格は販売競争を通じて薬価より安くなるため、薬価部分を取引価格に合わせて引き下げて、価格差解消を図る。（2023/12/01-09:13）

The Japanese government plans to lower official drug prices in the fiscal 2024 revision of medical fees to eliminate gaps with actual market prices.
   Actual market prices, or prices paid by medical institutions to drug wholesalers, were some 6.0 pct lower on average than state-set official prices in September, according to the results of a health ministry survey reported to the Central Social Insurance Medical Council, an advisory body to the health minister, on Friday.
   Such prices are left to market mechanisms and tend to be lower than official prices.
   Medical fees, which are government-administered official prices for medical services paid to hospitals and drugstores under the public health care system, consist of labor costs as well as official drug prices.
   The government will consider ways to use the money left by the lowering of official drug prices. The rate of revision to overall medical fees, including the labor cost portion, will also be discussed.