Availability of biological cancer drugs under research: registration and price in Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico

Abstract

This study seeks to understand biological cancer drug availability through registration and prices of the biological agents used for cancer therapy and authorized for sale in the last 5 years in Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico, comparing the data to those for the United States of America (USA) and Spain. The regulatory agencies’ websites were assessed for drugs registered between January 1, 2014, and February 20, 2019. Drug prices were sought in the clerical databases. Prices were also compared using purchasing power parity (PPP). The comparison between the purchasing power (PP) of the three Latin American countries is hampered by market heterogeneity and uncertainty in the data. There is no registration synchronization. The average difference between the launch time in the USA and in the other countries is 1.6 to 2.6 years. The USA has the lowest PPP values, compared to the Latin American countries studied, but higher prices. Differences in registration time reveal issues in drug access in the Latin American countries studied or a lack of equity between countries. The economic effort that these countries make to have access to these supplies is much higher than that of the USA and Spain.

Marketing authorisation and pricing of FDA-approved cancer drugs in Brazil: a retrospective analysis

“…Also, prices set in the US can either directly or indirectly influence prices in other countries due to commonly used external reference pricing policies, in which prices in one country are guided by those in other countries. 13 , 14 …”