Based on the analysis of data gathered in a data warehouse between 1996 and 2002, drug expenditure records show that the drug expenditure for one patient increased gradually within the Osaka University Hospital in Japan. The authors break down drug expenditure into different medicine groups and analyze the impact of cardiovascular drugs in general and antihypertensive drugs in particular as being the main contributors to the overall expenditure.

With medical expenses amounting to 30 trillion yen in Japan in 2000 and an estimated increase of 10 trillion yen over the next 25 years, the authors discuss the reasons for the increase in drug expenditures, the main component of the budget with 20 percent. An increase can be motivated based on the increase in the patient population or on the increase of expenditures for a single patient. The authors analyze the development of drug expenditures for a single patient over the course of seven years based on a data warehouse in use in several Japanese hospitals. After observing a distinct increase of expenditure per patient, they discuss different reasons for the increase, including increases in the price of drugs and in the number of prescribed drugs.

The study is based on data from 1996 through 2002 and provides interesting information with regard to the estimated increase of 10 trillion yen between 2000 and 2025. As the paper was published in 2006, the authors should have provided insight into the recent development of drug expenditure per capita under the background of newer trends within the Japanese medical system. A study by Motomatsu and others [1] describes attempts undertaken in 2002 aimed at the apparent bankruptcy of the medical system, among them a reduction of fees and hospital beds. Although the analysis provides an interesting basis for inferences about the financial state of the Japanese medical system, it would be interesting to see the effects of regulation based on data extracted from the warehouse.