Access to high-priced medicines in lower-income countries in the WHO European Region

ABSTRACT

Lower-income countries (LICs) in the WHO European Region generally have poorer health status and more limited resources than higher-income countries. This creates pressing issues when making decisions on financing high-priced medicines. The market access strategies for innovative medicines in LICs usually follow the low-volume, high-price business model, which does not guarantee access for all potentially eligible patients. If the political will to make changes exists, however, several policy tools could be used that may improve patient access to these medicines. This technical report describes specific constraints of LICs related to public financing of high-priced medicines, and summarizes policy considerations to improve access to high-priced medicines in LICs in three areas, including price-control mechanisms, tools to increase the negotiation power of health-care payers and tools to facilitate appropriate prescribing.