About the “15th Survey on Consumer Attitudes Toward Medicines and the Pharmaceutical Industry”

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November 18, 2021
Japan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association

The Japan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (hereinafter referred to as “JPMA”) has published the analysis report on the results of this year’s “15th Consumer Awareness Survey on Medicines and the Pharmaceutical Industry” on the JPMA website.
According to the results of this survey, the level of trust in the pharmaceutical industry remained high at 85.7%. There is a tendency for the percentage of respondents with a positive view of the industry to increase with age. As in previous surveys, the pharmaceutical industry received high marks for its social necessity, technological capabilities, future prospects, and commitment to the research and development of new drugs.On the other hand, regarding expectations for the pharmaceutical industry and pharmaceutical companies, particularly amid the COVID-19 pandemic, expectations related to drug discovery—such as “developing highly effective and fast-acting drugs” and “the development of new drugs and further research and development”—stand out.
Additionally, this year we added a new question to gauge consumers’ perceptions regarding “drug prices.”The results showed that opinions varied across age groups—including those who were indifferent—regarding “the high or low price of prescribed medications.” Furthermore, regarding “how the price of prescription drugs is determined,” only 23% of respondents answered that it is “a government-set price.”On the other hand, when asked about their perceptions upon seeing news reports on the introduction of high-cost drugs, “I cannot judge based on price alone” was the most common response at 34%; however, opinions were divided between those who viewed the news positively and those who viewed it negatively.
　　　　　　　　
In light of these survey results, the JPMA will identify areas for improvement in its initiatives and activities, and incorporate these findings into the creation of more effective and useful informational content as well as into its communication methods.

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