Prices and Affordability of Essential Medicines in 72 Low-, Middle-, and High-Income Markets.

ABSTRACT:

Importance

Little is known about how the prices and affordability of medicines included on the World Health Organization's Model List of Essential Medicines vary across the globe.

Objective

To compare the list prices and affordability of essential medicines across high-, middle-, and low-income markets.

Design and setting

This cross-sectional study examined data from 2022 on list prices and volumes of 549 essential medicines in 72 high-, middle-, and low-income markets (covering 87 countries). These data were obtained from IQVIA. The statistical analyses were performed between August 2024 and March 2025.

Main outcomes and measures

Laspeyres price indices were used to compare average drug prices across countries, both in nominal and purchasing power parity-adjus

SUBMITTER: Wouters OJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12357183 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature