E-DRUG: New pricing bulletin & results from UAE price survey
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Dear E-druggers
As part of our project on medicine prices and availability, Health
Action International (HAI) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have
published a new bulletin entitled Medicine Pricing Matters. You can
access it on HAIs website: http://www.haiweb.org/medicineprices/
Since the publishing of the WHO/HAI survey tool in mid-2003, over 50
surveys have been conducted across the globe measuring medicine prices,
availability, affordability, and price components in the supply chain
from manufacturer to patient. More surveys are planned for 2008. A
number of countries are considering policy changes in response to survey
findings, and some are now regularly monitoring prices and availability.
The purpose of the bulletin is to inform on all this work - survey
results, workshops, advocacy campaigns, policy changes, monitoring work,
project activities and publications etc. We appreciate that people lack
time to read lengthy documents, so each bulletin will only be 4 pages.
We will produce 4 per year - the next issue is due 1 March 2008. If you
wish to go on the mailing list for a print version then pleased contact
me.
The results of a survey undertaken in the United Arab Emirates in late
2006 are now available on the website
<http://www.haiweb.org/GlobalDatabase/Main.htm> ).
The survey was
conducted by Dr Nadia Abdul-Malek Younes, head of the private pharmacy
sector of the Federal Ministry of Health. Twenty-five medicines
(originator brand and lowest priced generic equivalent of each) were
surveyed in 23 private retail pharmacies and 18 public sector outlets.
Public sector procurement data was based on GCC procurement system
purchases. Median supplier prices in the 2005 Management Sciences for
Health International Drug Price Indicator Guide were generally used as
reference prices.
Key findings included:
- Expensive originator brands were being purchased by the government
(about 5 times the reference prices) as well as much cheaper generics
(whose prices were similar to the reference prices)
- Poor availability in the public sector where medicines are free (61%
for generics, 17% for originator brands)
- Availablity in the private sector was excellent for originator brands
(100%) but not cheaper generics (74%)
- Extremely high patient prices in the private pharmacies (originator
brands were about 24 times the reference prices; lowest priced generics
were about 14 times the reference prices)
- Lowest priced generics were generally affordable when purchased by the
lowest paid unskilled government worker in the private sector - but
originator brands were far less affordable e.g. a person with arthritis
would have to work 2.5 days to buy a month's supply of diclofenac 25mg
tabs originator brand (Voltaren) but less than a day for lowest priced
generic equivalents.
Price components were not measured but wholesale and retail margins were
each considered to be about 20%.
The survey report will be posted on HAIs website when available.
Regards
Marg Ewen
Coordinator, Global Projects (Pricing)
Health Action International
Jacob van Lennepkade 334T
1053 NJ Amsterdam
The Netherlands
Tel: +31 20 489 1846 (direct), +31 20 683 3684 (office)
Fax: +31 20685 5002
Email: marg@haiweb.org
Web site: http://www.haiweb.org