E-drug: Drug pricing Sri Lanka - India
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[picked up from the Sri Lankese newspaper Island, 12th December,
Letters to the Editor section].
"The Editor
Island Newspaper
223 Bloemendhal Road
Colombo 3
Sir
GIVING THE RIGHT ANSWER TO THE WRONG QUESTION
The officials of Glaxo Wellcome, the biggest multinational pharmaceutical
company in the world had made some observations on drugs for treatment of
HIV (AIDS) on Monday's Island and promptly clarified and answered some
confusion that had arisen in the next day's newspapers. The issue of HIV
infection and the drugs used to treat it is complex. Individuals suffering
from HIV do of course require treatment (even though the drugs will just
postpone the inevitable) but should the government spend the limited drug
budget on much less expensive drugs that will cure more prevalent
conditions in many more patients? There are no easy answers.
However a question that is more relevant to the patients of this country
and asked of Glaxo Wellcome in these same newspaper columns 2 weeks ago has
gone unanswered. Dr RC Seimon, the National Co-ordinator of the National
Advisory Committee of the Prevention of Blindness is his letter on 13th
November "What price for eye health" asked why Glaxo sells Betnasol at Rs
8.25 in India and Rs 173.75 in Sri Lanka. This is a price difference of
1300% after equalising for exchange rates. The question is simple; A drug
that is very useful in ophthalmology and could potentially prevent
blindness (especially among the elderly) and therefore is virtually life
saving, is sold by Glaxo Wellcome for Rs 8.25 in India and 1300% more in
Sri Lanka. Why?
The issue underlying the question is also simple - exorbitant pricing. I
hope Glaxo Wellcome after being very prompt with complex issues will now at
least provide some answer to this simple but vital question. So far, Glaxo
Wellcome has given "The Right Answer to the Wrong Question".
Yours sincerely
Professor K Weerasuriya
Professor of Pharmacology
Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo"
[This is a clearcut example of differential pricing. Parallel import
would be a useful tool in redducing these differences. I would be
interested in a response from Glaxo why these prices are so
different. WB, co-moderator E-drug]
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