Pharmaceutical pricing and reimbursement policies: perspectives for the future

Abstract

For many years, the global approach to pharmaceutical pricing and reimbursement policies has been informed, first and foremost, by the key differences between those systems which relied on public sector procurement and supply, and those which were based on reimbursement. The challenge for the future is to identify a range of pharmaceutical pricing and reimbursement policies that are both appropriate for and supportive of countries’ attempts to introduce and entrench universal health cov- erage. They will also need to stimulate necessary and appropriate innovation, while ensuring a responsible and stable pharmaceutical industry, in alignment with national and regional industrial policies. This is a tough call, which calls for a delicate balancing of many disparate interests, in a way which is also patient-centred and cognisant of the human rights at stake.