Drug Policy Research Group

	The Drug Policy Research Group (DPRG) in the Department of Ambulatory Care and Prevention (DACP) is recognized nationally and internationally as world leaders in research on pharmaceutical policy. Drs. Stephen B. Soumerai and Dennis Ross-Degnan of the DPRG have provided leadership for more than 20 years in studying pharmaceutical use, methods of improving clinical decision making, and the effects of changes in medication reimbursement and in cost-containment policies on the quality and outcomes of health care in both the U.S. and developing countries.
	Domestic Policy Impacts
	DPRG research on drug coverage limitations among Medicare enrollees has been used extensively by members of Congress, the Department of Health and Human Services, and patient care advocates to justify low-income subsidies in Medicare drug coverage. In addition, the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality has credited several studies by the DPRG with influencing national policy on access to medications for the mentally ill. DPRG research has been used by many states to reject strict drug coverage limits because of the risk of adverse health effects and institutionalization. The National Alliance for the Mentally Ill and AARP, in written statements to the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality, said that DPRG studies helped demonstrate to the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) and Medicaid that while restrictions placed on use of anti-psychotic drugs reduced the amount of spending on these medications, such caps led to eventual cost increases because of poor patient outcomes. In addition, Dr. Soumerai has been an expert witness in two federal court suits by AARP attempting to eliminate Medicaid prescription drug caps in Tennessee and Mississippi. This testimony resulted in exemptions of individuals with specific chronic illnesses. DPRG faculty continue to consult with CMS on research needed to evaluate the Medicare drug benefit. Recently, Dr. Soumerai worked closely with the Massachusetts Health Care Reform Connector Board to ensure prescription drug coverage and affordable cost sharing in minimum requirements for its universal health insurance program
	International Policy Impacts
	The DPRG, in association with the Center for International Health and Development (CIHD) at Boston University, forms the World Health Organization Collaborating Center in Pharmaceutical Policy (http://www.whoccpp.org/). Working with the WHO Department of Essential Drugs and Medicines Policy and the International Network for Rational Use of Drugs, the WHO CCPP provides training and capacity strengthening; applied research and technical collaboration; methods development; and information exchange to improve access to high quality essential drugs in developing and transitional countries, and to develop policies that promote greater affordability and appropriate use of these medicines. This work is particularly crucial in light of the fact that at least one-third of the world's population lacks access to essential medicines. Major accomplishments of the WHOCCPP include organization of the two International Conferences on Improving Use of Medicines (www.icium.org), which established global state-of-the-art of knowledge on how to improve access to and use of medicines. WHO CCPP faculty have begun the Medicines and Insurance Coverage (MedIC) Initiative, working with health insurance systems to improve access to and use of medicines through evidence-based medicines benefit policy decision making. Other major efforts of the WHOCCPP focus on assessing prices of medicines globally, and on developing cost-effective approaches to improve adherence to antiretroviral therapy in African countries.

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