Pricing appraisal of anti-cancer drugs in the South East Asian, Western Pacific and East Mediterranean Region

Abstract

BackgroundGlobally, cancer is one of the leading causes of mortality. High treatment cost, partly owing to higher prices of anti-cancer drugs, presents a significant burden on patients and healthcare systems. The aim of the present study was to survey and compare retail prices of anti-cancer drugs between high, middle and low income countries in the South-East Asia, Western Pacific and Eastern Mediterranean regions.MethodsCross-sectional survey design was used for the present study. Pricing data from ten counties including one from South-East Asia, two from Western Pacific and seven from Eastern Mediterranean regions were used in this study. Purchasing power parity (PPP)-adjusted mean unit prices for 26 anti-cancer drug presentations (similar pharmaceutical form, strength, and pack size) were used to compare prices of anti-cancer drugs across three regions. A structured form was used to extract relevant data. Data were entered and analysed using Microsoft Excel®.ResultsOverall, Taiwan had the lowest mean unit prices while Oman had the highest prices. Six (23.1%) and nine (34.6%) drug presentations had a mean unit price below US$100 and between US$100 and US$500 respectively. Eight drug presentations (30.7%) had a mean unit price of more than US$1000 including cabazitaxel with a mean unit price of $17,304.9/vial. There was a direct relationship between income category of the countries and their mean unit price; low-income countries had lower mean unit prices. The average PPP-adjusted unit prices for countries based on their income level were as follows: low middle-income countries (LMICs): US$814.07; high middle income countries (HMICs): US$1150.63; and high income countries (HICs): US$1148.19.ConclusionsThere is a great variation in pricing of anticancer drugs in selected countires and within their respective regions. These findings will allow policy makers to compare prices of anti-cancer agents with neighbouring countries and develop policies to ensure accessibility and affordability of anti-cancer drugs.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s12885-017-3888-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Price variation in different brands of anticancer drugs available in Indian pharmaceutical market: a cost analysis study

“…Their study showed highest cost variation in hormonal anticancer drugs (714.24%) and lowest variation with targeted anticancer drugs (5.56%) in India 8. A study by Salmasi S et al, also concluded great variation in pricing of anticancer drugs in other countries like in South East Asian, Western Pacific and East Mediterranean Region 9.…”

Economics of Pediatric Cancer in Four Eastern Mediterranean Countries: A Comparative Assessment

“…We identified only one study directly comparing publicly listed prices for 22 anticancer drugs; the authors found prices in Lebanon tended to be among the lowest compared with the other eight countries (seven Asian countries and Egypt) in that study. 36 There are indications of cancer drug prices decreasing since 2011 in Lebanon, including through procurement negotiations led by the MOPH. 37 More recently, the government of Jordan reduced in June 2019 the list prices of > 1,000 drugs, including a 10% reduction for cancer drugs.…”

“…We identified one study protocol referring specifically to the costs of pediatric cancer care, and that was in Jordan. 79 Other sources referred to the overall financial burden of cancer care, for example, from the perspective of the Lebanese MOPH (cancer drugs cost USD 140 million over 3 years 36 ); but the way the data were presented did not allow disaggregation.…”

Price variation among different brands of anticancer medicines available in hospital pharmacies of Nepal

“…Anti-cancer medicines are usually expensive [6] and cause financial distress to the patients, society, and the country. Studies have reported significant variation in the prices of the same anti-cancer medicines across different countries (up to 388% variation) [7,8] and within a country (up to 714% variation) [9].…”