ArticlePloS one2020
Availability, prices and affordability of essential medicines in Zhejiang Province, China.
Article in PloS one, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- The price and affordability of essential medicines, progress and regional distribution in China: a systematic review.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2023Pooled it
- The availability of drugs for stable COPD treatment in China: a cross-sectional survey.NPJ primary care respiratory medicine · 2025Article
- Access to single-inhaler triple medicines for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in China: a national survey on accessibility and utilisation.Journal of pharmaceutical policy and practice · 2025Article
- Trends and disparity in the provision and consumption of essential medicines in China from 2016 to 2021: institutional, regional, and economic variations.Frontiers in public health · 2025Article
- Access to innovative anticancer medicines in China: a national survey on availability, price and affordability.BMJ open · 2024Observational
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- Availability, prices and affordability of essential medicines: A cross-sectional survey in Hanam province, Vietnam.PloS one · 2021Article
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4 authors.
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Abstract
objectiveTo evaluate the availability, prices, and affordability of essential medicines in Zhejiang Province, China.
methodsThe survey was carried out in Zhejiang Province in 2018 following the methodology of the World Health Organization (WHO) and Health Action International (HAI). This method is an international standard method.Data on 50 medicines were collected from public health facilities and private pharmacies. Medication prices were compared with international reference prices to obtain a median price ratio. The affordability of medicines was measured based on the daily wage of the lowest-paid unskilled government worker. In private pharmacies, the mean availability of Originator Brands (OBs) and Lowest-priced Generics (LPGs) was 36.7% and 40.3%, respectively.
findingsThe effects of the mean availability of OBs and LPGs were seen in private pharmacies. Correspondingly, the average availability of OBs and LPGs was 41.8% and 35.1% in the public sector, respectively. In the public sector, the median price ratios (MPRs) were 5.21 for generics and 13.49 for OBs. In the private sector, the MPRs were 4.94 for generics and 14.75 for OBs. Treating common diseases with LPGs was generally affordable, while treatment with OBs was less affordable.
conclusionsIn Zhejiang Province, low availability was observed for medicines surveyed in the public and private sectors. Price differences between originator brands and generics in both sectors are apparent. OBs were more expensive than LPGs in both the public and private sectors. Low availability affects access to essential medicines. Policy measures should be taken to improve the availability of essential medicines.
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