Cheri
Grace
Research
Associate, London Business School, 2003
Essential
Drugs and Medicines Policy (EDM) of the World Health Organization (WHO) and
Department for International Development (DFID) Health Systems Resource Centre
Available
online as PDF file at:
http://www.healthsystemsrc.org/publications/Issues_papers/equitable_pricing_
essential_med.pdf
"......The
study was carried out in support of the wider process of developing feasible
policy options to increase access to essential medicines.
The
terms 'differential pricing', or 'equitable pricing' can be defined as pricing
based on ability to pay.
As
it relates to the policy goal of maximizing health impact through
affordability of medicines, a more accurate term might be 'equity pricing',
where countries apply a price structure or pricing policy according to some
principle of fairness or equity. In practice this may mean proportionality
with income per capita, human development index or similar indicators.
The report focuses on the voluntary mechanisms - bulk purchasing and
competitive tendering; voluntary tiered pricing agreements; and voluntary
licensing - and on how to more effectively capture advantages from these
mechanisms. Evidence for the potential impact of other mechanisms, including
compulsory licensing; delay in patent protection, as allowed by the Doha
Declaration; systematic, government imposed patent waivers; and price controls
has also been analysed.
.....In
the final section of the report, each mechanism is analysed according to a
range of factors, such as impact on price reduction, possible effect on
R&D, product and disease scope, impact on the poor, predictability,
transparency, and sustainability. The mechanisms are examined individually as
well as in relation to each other......"
This
message from the Pan American Health Organization, PAHO/WHO,
is part of an effort to disseminate information related to Equity, Health
inequality; socioeconomic inequality in health; socioeconomic health
differentials. Gender, Violence, Poverty, Health Economics, Health Legislation,
Ethnicity, Ethics, Information Technology and Virtual libraries, Research
& Science issues. [IKM Area]
PAHO/WHO
Website: http://www.paho.org/English/HDP/
EQUITY
List - Archives - Join/remove: http://listserv.paho.org/Archives/equidad.html
