Pharmaceutical policy is a complex arena that works at various levels (cross-national, national, regional and local) and through various actors. It can be defined as the conscious attempt by public officials to achieve certain objectives through a set of laws, rules, procedures and incentives.
The chosen policy options will depend on the income level of the country implementing them, the method of financing health care and the agreed objectives.
The costs of pharmaceuticals can be controlled in a number of ways, including formal pricing and reimbursement systems, profit controls, patient copayments, devolution of budgets to physician groups and generic substitution.
Health care organizations, including governments, can potentially instigate multiple measures to enhance the rational use of medicines. These can be collated under the 4Es: education, engineering, economics and enforcement.
Rational guidance within pharmaceutical policymaking can only be achieved when policymakers and researchers come together and learn from one another or when initiatives exert their influence in other countries (cross-country learning).