Are quality medicines affordable? Evidence from a large survey of medicine price and quality in Indonesia.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Since Indonesia implemented one of the world's largest single-payer health insurance schemes in 2014, the price of many common medicines has fallen dramatically. Industry groups warn unsustainably low prices threaten quality, while the government says medicines remain overpriced. We investigate the relationship between the price and quality of essential medicines and the affordability of medicines paid for out of pocket.

Methods

We bought over 1000 samples of five common prescription medicines-allopurinol, amlodipine, amoxicillin, cefixime and dexamethasone-online and from randomly selected pharmacies and health facilities in four regions across Indonesia. We recorded the price paid and tested samples for quality using high-performance liquid chromatography. We co

SUBMITTER: Maria V 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12104911 | biostudies-literature | 2025 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature