Pharmaceutical pricing policies in the Gulf Countries’ Council (GCC) and the United Arab Emirates (UAE)

Abstract

Established in 1971, the United Arab Emirates is a federation of seven emirates, lying on the southeast end of the Arabian Peninsula, and home to some nine million people. It is the second largest economy in the Arab world, with a gross domestic product (GDP) of $377 billion in 2012. The government of the UAE spends more per capita on healthcare than all other Arab states except Qatar, but less than some other developed nations. Data from a 2006 survey showed the UAE government was buying high priced originator brand pharmaceuticals when lower priced generic pharmaceuticals were available, whilst originator and generic medicines in the private sector were high in comparison with international prices and largely unaffordable to low income earners. Within the framework of a market-driven economy promoted by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states, the Health Ministers of the GCC including the UAE have introduced a number of legislative and regulatory reforms intended to regulate medicine prices whilst still delivering safe and effective medicines. In 2008, a Strategic Framework was implemented by the UAE Ministry of Health which focused on strengthening regulatory practices and improving technical performance and upgrading health facilities. Alongside this wider health strategy, pharmaceutical policies and reforms were also initiated to improve accessibility to affordable medicines. This chapter describes the pharmaceutical pricing and accessibility legislative reforms in GCC member states, and the impact therein, focusing especially on pricing policies in the United Arab Emirates.