Pharmaceuticals have contributed to improvements in life expectancy and quality of life of many patients. Medicines can cure, relieve symptoms, delay the onset of disease and prevent complications. They often offer good value for money. However, recent trends raise a number of concerns. The launch prices of new drugs have been increasing in some therapeutic categories, sometimes without commensurate health gains. At the same time, new effective medicines are not always affordable to all patients who need them and put a high pressure on health care budgets. These trends raise questions about incentives at work in the pharmaceutical sector and the sustainability of current pricing models.

Sustainable access to innovative medicines This project, conducted between 2016 and 2018 assesses current challenges in pharmaceutical markets, based on the best available evidence; looks at pharmaceutical industries' activities and performance and proposes a set of policy options for policy makers to consider to address current challenges Pharmaceutical Innovation and Access to Medicines (November 2018)

Opioids Opioids use has dramatically increased in some 蜂鸟电竞在线入口 countries, both of prescribed and illicit opioids. This has led to a sharp upsurge in addiction and overdose deaths, with serious social and economic consequences. The 蜂鸟电竞在线入口 is analysing the opioids epidemic and exploring several policy strategies that can help countries address the issue.  Opioids

Addressing the challenges of access to medicines The 蜂鸟电竞在线入口 has undertaken several projects to further explore avenues to increase pharmaceutical expenditure efficiency and better prepare to changes in the market.  Addressing the challenges of access to medicines Addressing challenges in access to oncology medicines (April 2020) Performance-based managed entry agreements for new medicines (Dec. 2019) Improving Forecasting of Pharmaceutical Spending (April 2019) Using routinely collected data to inform pharmaceutical policies  (Feb. 2019)

Antimicrobial resistance Antimicrobial resistance is rapidly becoming a top health problem that could pose a significant challenge to the functioning of healthcare systems and their budget in 蜂鸟电竞在线入口 and G20 countries.  Antimicrobial resistance Stemming the Superbug Tide: Just A Few Dollars More (November 2018)

Pharmaceutical pricing policy project The project had two main objectives: to add to the base of information about pharmaceutical pricing policy in 蜂鸟电竞在线入口 countries and develop a taxonomy and framework for making international comparisons of policies, and to analyse cross-national impacts and implications of policies, particularly with respect to the impacts on pharmaceutical prices paid in other countries and on pharmaceutical R&D. Pharmaceutical pricing policy project

Medical radioisotopes The use of medical radioisotopes is an important part of modern medical practice. Each year, over 40 million people around the world benefit from nuclear medicine imaging. However, the radioisotope supply chain is susceptible to disruptions that can jeopardise the availability of these essential products. The 蜂鸟电竞在线入口 Health Division is currently cooperating with the Nuclear Energy Agency to analyse the economics of radioisotope supply and identify policy options to make supply more reliable. Medical radioisotopes The Supply of Medical Isotopes: An Economic Diagnosis and Possible Solutions  (November 2019)

RELATED PUBLICATIONS

PUBLICATIONS

• Antimicrobial Resistance in the EU/EEA: A One Health Response , Policy Brief, March 2022
• Health at a Glance 2021: 蜂鸟电竞在线入口 Indicators , see chapter 10 on " Pharmaceutical sector "
• New Health Technologies: Managing Access, Value and Sustainability , released January 16, 2017
• Tackling Wasteful Spending on Health , see chapter 4 on "Reducing ineffective health care spending on pharmaceuticals"

COUNTRY PROFILES

• Pharmaceutical Reimbursement and Pricing in Germany (June 2018)
• Value in Pharmaceutical Pricing: Australia  (November 2014)
• Value in Pharmaceutical Pricing: Canada (November 2014)
• Also read " How pharmaceutical systems are organized in Asia and the Pacific ", a co-publication between WHO and the 蜂鸟电竞在线入口 which includes 2-page profiles of 14 countries (in WPRO and SEARO) and provides snapshots on how pharmaceutical systems are organised in each country. Released February 2018.

WORKING PAPERS

• No. 146 -  Exploring the consequences of greater price transparency on the dynamics of pharmaceutical markets (September 2022)
  - Also access the related supplementary analysis
• No. 139 - Improving data on pharmaceutical expenditure in hospitals and other health care settings (April 2022)
• No. 137 -  Shortages of medicines in 蜂鸟电竞在线入口 countries (March 2022)
  Access the supplementary material related to this paper:
  -  Supplementary Material 1: 蜂鸟电竞在线入口 analysis of national shortage monitoring systems
  - Supplementary Material 2: International trade flows of selected groups of medicines
• No. 123 - Challenges in access to oncology medicines: Policies and practices across the 蜂鸟电竞在线入口 and the EU (November 2020)
• No. 115 - Performance-based managed entry agreements for new medicines in 蜂鸟电竞在线入口 countries and EU member states (December 2019)
• No. 90 -  How 蜂鸟电竞在线入口 health systems define the range of good and services to be financed collectively (November 2016)
• No. 88 -  Health care coverage in 蜂鸟电竞在线入口 countries in 2012 (May 2016)
• No. 87 -  Pharmaceutical Expenditure and Policies: Past Trends and Future Challenges  (April 2016)
• No. 63 -  Value in Pharmaceutical Pricing  (July 2013)

CONTRIBUTIONS TO NON-蜂鸟电竞在线入口 PUBLICATIONS

• Data Rich, Information Poor: Can We Use Electronic Health Records to Create a Learning Healthcare System for Pharmaceuticals? , American Society for Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics, September 2018
• Ensuring access to medicines: How to redesign pricing, reimbursement and procurement? , European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, 2018

OTHER 蜂鸟电竞在线入口 WORK

• Management of Pharmaceutical Household Waste - Limiting Environmental Impacts of Unused or Expired Medicine (May 2022)
• Second Public Procurement Review of the Mexican Institute of Social Security (IMSS)
• 蜂鸟电竞在线入口 Competition Assessment Reviews: Mexico
  
  

further reading

• 蜂鸟电竞在线入口 Health Ministerial Meeting , 16-17 January 2017
• More information on health at the 蜂鸟电竞在线入口
   

CONTACT US

• Ms Ruth Lopert: ruth.lopert@oecd.org
• Ms Eliana Barrenho: eliana.barrenho@oecd.org
• Ms Suzannah Chapman:  suzannah.chapman@oecd.org
• health.contact@oecd.org  

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