E-DRUG: Medicine Price Survey in Fiji
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Hullo e-druggers,
In September 2004, using Health Action International (HAI) / World Health Organisation(WHO) methodology, we completed a medicine price survey in Fiji. Bachelor of Pharmacy students at the Fiji School of Medicine were trained as data collectors and the survey formed part of their capacity building in research methodology, prior to implementation of their own individual, practice-based, research study in their fourth (final) year.
Ethics approval was first obtained from the Fiji National Research and Ethics Committee and from the Ministry of Health.
From a sample of 30 medicines, in the public sector we demonstrated that the Government is sourcing medicines of proven acceptable quality at a considerably lower price than international comparators. Some supply difficulties were identified in the public sector but all expected medicines were available in the private sector.
As there is no drug registration process yet in Fiji, the quality of most medicines in the private sector is unproven however it was outside the capacity of this survey to analyse their quality. We demonstrated that the cost of medicines in the private sector does not present a barrier to access, for those people who are employed in the formal sector. This outcome is partially due to the success of the Government revolving fund bulk purchase scheme which provides a limited list of proven quality medicines to the private sector pharmacies at reduced price due to a lower mark-up at the wholesale level, with savings then passed on to the consumer. This is an example of healthy collaboration between public and private sectors through which consumers benefit.
Innovator brand prices in the private sector were found to be roughly 4 to 6 times more expensive than the lowest price generic. For oral ciprofloxacin, there was a 20 times difference.
A full report on the survey can be found on the HAI website at
http://www.haiweb.org/medicineprices/surveys/200409FJ/survey_report.pdf
Murray Bailey
Associate Professor Pharmacy (External Advisor)
Fiji School of Medicine
Email: bailey_m@bigpond.com