ArticleBMC health services research2017
A comparison of generic drug prices in seven European countries: a methodological analysis.
Article in BMC health services research, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Pooled it
- International patented medicine prices: how does Canada compare to the OECD? A descriptive analysis of list prices.Journal of pharmaceutical policy and practice · 2026Article
- Time series analysis of the new tiering pricing policy for generic medicines in South Korea.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2026Article
- International price comparisons for national price-negotiated drugs in China: a cross-regional analysis.Health policy and planning · 2025Article
- Prices and Affordability of Essential Medicines in 72 Low-, Middle-, and High-Income Markets.JAMA health forum · 2025Article
- Comparison of generic drug prices in Korea and eight high-income countries across four therapeutic classes.PloS one · 2025Article
- Managing Pharmaceutical Costs in Health Systems: A Review of Affordability, Accessibility and Sustainability Strategies.Journal of market access & health policy · 2024Review
- Medicines prices in International (Geary-Khamis) Dollar. The comparison between regulated and deregulated markets.PloS one · 2024Article
- Patients' attitudes towards switching to national volume-based procurement (NVBP) Drugs-a qualitative investigation in Wuhan, China.BMC health services research · 2023Article
- Understanding Differences in Health Care Spending: A Comparative Study of Prices and Volumes Across OECD Countries.Health services insights · 2022Article
- Dynamics of price competition in Italian pharmaceutical off-patent market.Frontiers in medicine · 2022Article
- Knowledge, perceptions and practices of pharmacists regarding generic substitution in China: a cross-sectional study.BMJ open · 2021Article
- International Price Comparisons of Anticancer Drugs: A Scheme for Improving Patient Accessibility.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
- The Effects of the National Centralized Drug Purchasing Pilot Program on Nucleos(t)ide Analogs in Shenzhen City: An Interrupted Time Series Analysis.Frontiers in public health · 2021Article
- Comparing Generic Drug Markets in Europe and the United States: Prices, Volumes, and Spending.The Milbank quarterly · 2017Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundPolicymakers and researchers frequently compare the prices of medicines between countries. Such comparisons often serve as barometers of how pricing and reimbursement policies are performing. The aim of this study was to examine methodological challenges to comparing generic drug prices.
methodsWe calculated all commonly used price indices based on 2013 IMS Health data on sales of 3156 generic drugs in seven European countries.
resultsThere were large differences in generic drug prices between countries. However, the results varied depending on the choice of index, base country, unit of volume, method of currency conversion, and therapeutic category. The results also differed depending on whether one looked at the prices charged by manufacturers or those charged by pharmacists.
conclusionsPrice indices are a useful statistical approach for comparing drug prices across countries, but researchers and policymakers should interpret price indices with caution given their limitations. Price-index results are highly sensitive to the choice of method and sample. More research is needed to determine the drivers of price differences between countries. The data suggest that some governments should aim to reduce distribution costs for generic drugs.
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