The Economic Benefits of Pharmaceutical Innovations: The Case of Cox-2 Inhibitors

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Garthwaite, Craig L.
• 署名单位: Northwestern University
• 刊物名称: AMERICAN ECONOMIC JOURNAL-APPLIED ECONOMICS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 1945-7782
• DOI: 10.1257/app.4.3.116
• 发表日期: 2012
• 页码: 116-137
• 关键词: rofecoxib; TRENDS; cost

摘要

Despite dramatic improvements in medical technology, little attention has been paid to the role of these innovations in improving economic outcomes. This study estimates the labor supply effects of Cox-2 inhibitors, a widely prescribed class of pharmaceuticals used for the treatment of chronic pain and inflammation and primarily marketed under the brand names Vioxx, Celebrex, and Bextra. This paper exploits the removal of Vioxx from the market in 2004 as an exogenous change in drug use. This removal was associated with a 0.35 percentage point decrease in overall labor force participation and $19 billion in lost wages.