Retail prices of essential drugs in Brazil: an international comparison Precios minoristas de medicamentos esenciales en Brasil: comparación internacional

• Main Authors: Otávio de Tolêdo Nóbrega, André Ricardo Marques, Ana Cleire Gomes de Ara��jo, Margô Gomes de Oliveira Karnikowski, Janeth de Oliveira Silva Naves, Lynn Dee Silver
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English; Spanish; Portuguese
• Published: Pan American Health Organization 2007
• Subjects: Medicamentos esenciales; costos en drogas; economía farmacéutica; política de salud; Brasil; Drugs; essential; drug costs; economics; pharmaceutical; health policy; Brazil; Medicine; R; Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine; RC955-962; Public aspects of medicine; RA1-1270; Arctic; Mercado
• Online Access: https://doaj.org/article/e4a70dc0a4d148dfa386bddbf5d95ff8

OBJECTIVES: Price is a key obstacle for consumer access to essential drugs, especially in developing countries. This study sought to compare the retail prices of essential drugs on the private market in Brazil with that of two international pricing standards. METHODS: The retail price of all drugs on Brazil's Essential Drugs List, July 2000 edition, were compared to the retail price of the same drugs on the Swedish market and on a referential bulk-price indicator from low-cost suppliers on the international market. Ratios of Brazil's prices to Sweden's prices and Brazil's prices to the international bulk mean price-per-unit for each drug were calculated. Using linear regression analysis, the ratios were also studied in relation to the number of manufacturers. RESULTS: For the 132 drugs that were listed on both Brazil's and Sweden's lists, unitary retail prices in Brazil were 1.9 times higher. Of the 94 drugs found on both Brazil's list and the international unit-price indicator, Brazil's national mean unit prices were 13.1 more expensive. No relationship was found between the number of manufacturers for each product and the ratios of prices. CONCLUSIONS: Average retail prices of essential drugs in Brazil are significantly higher than in Sweden. Furthermore, international bulk prices indicate that drugs are brought to market by Brazil's private pharmacies at prices that may be excessively high in relation to production costs, creating high profit margins. The expected price-lowering effects of competition were not identified. OBJETIVO: Los precios constituyen un obstáculo clave para el acceso del consumidor a los medicamentos esenciales, especialmente en los países en desarrollo. El objetivo de este estudio fue comparar los precios minoristas de los medicamentos esenciales en el mercado privado de Brasil con los de dos estándares internacionales de precios. MÉTHODS: Se compararon los precios minoristas de todos los medicamentos de la Lista de Medicamentos Esenciales de Brasil, edición de julio de 2000, con los ...