Utrecht pharmacists lay foundations for WHO drug pricing policy guideline

The latest WHO guideline for national pharmaceutical pricing policies is informed by a large systematic review conducted by the team led by Professor Aukje Mantel-Teeuwisse. The new guideline’s goal is to help national governments introduce effective pricing policies so that governments could make sure that pharmaceutical products are affordable to patients.

Prof. Aukje Mantel-Teeuwisse
Prof Aukje Mantel-Teeuwisse

Mantel responded to an open call for proposal by the WHO to independently update the evidence on the effectiveness of a range of pharmaceutical pricing policy measures. The proposal of her team was selected. Working together with colleagues at the University of York, her team scanned through a large body of literature and carefully checked the scientific strengths and weaknesses of each study included. They then reported their observations to WHO experts for their consideration when developing the final guideline.

Evidence based

The new WHO guideline includes recommendations on ten pricing policy aspects informed by the best available evidence. These policies include comparing national prices to those in similar countries (external price referencing), and eliminating or reducing taxes on pharmaceuticals. However, the review identified several gaps in the literature, which if available, would have helped to better understand the full effects of pricing policies.

Prof. Mantel notes: “We learned that relatively little is known about the benefits of some policy measures. There’s a lot of opportunity for progress in that area, both quantitatively and qualitatively.”

More price transparency needed

Many stakeholders are calling for more transparency in drug prices. One of the most significant results of the study is that much more research is required to understand the effects of price transparency, for example on how drug prices are set and what are the prices governments actually pay for medication after discounts and rebates.

That knowledge is essential for designing and implementing effective pricing policies to achieve affordable access to medicines. The guideline suggests that countries should encourage price transparency through a series of mechanisms, including sharing the net transaction prices for pharmaceutical products with relevant stakeholders and along the supply and distribution chain.

Spin-off

Mantel sees an urgent need to conduct research into the effectiveness of pricing policies. PhD candidate Iris Joosse will continue her research into measuring the impact of policies that improve access to medicines, together with a team that includes dr. Rianne van den Ham from Utrecht University and Professor Fatima Suleman – a Professor from the University of KwaZulu-Natal and former holder of the Prince Claus Chair.

More information
Read the WHO guideline