The liberalized painkiller market : A study assessing the efficiency of increased access of painkillers in Sweden after 2009

Abstract: The aim of this study is to estimate the efficiency of increased access made on the non- prescriptive drug market, explicitly the painkiller market. In 2009 the Swedish government chose to cease the monopoly on the pharmacy market and also allowed regular stores to sell some non-prescriptive drugs. To assess the efficiency of these two reforms, I will investigate how the access of painkillers has changed for the individual and if this could have an impact on health. I will use a fixed effects model, including county- and year fixed effects, with the access per 100,000 people as explanatory variable and estimate the effect of outcomes such as sales, intoxication, asthma, ADHD prescriptions and doctors visits. This study finds no effect of increased access on consumption or health, although the access of painkillers has unambiguously increased after 2009.