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European Pharmaceutical Students’ Association
Cancer Medicine Prices in 30 European Countries Author: Neda Zare, Naheem Shazad, Umar Ali, Sheikh Malik, Besime Ozbek, Nancy Dike, Zaheer-Ud-Din Babar Scientific Coordinator: Professor Zaheer-Ud-Din-Babar Institution: Department of Pharmacy , University of Huddersfield, HD1 3DH, United Kingdom
INTRODUCTION: Cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide, and it accounted for almost 10 million deaths around the globe in 2020. The number of deaths attributed to cancer is increasing across the world. High pharmaceutical product prices constitute a significant challenge both in high and low-income countries.
Log ex-factory prices per unit indexed
AIM: We aimed to survey the prices of cancer associated with ex-factory unit price at the 5% significance level for Ibrance (p=0.001 medicines in 30 European countries. for location; p<0.001 for GDP per capita). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Based on our Medicine strength was significantly associated previous experience we exUsing the Wilhelmy with the ex-factory unit price at the 5% plate tensiometric method, the interfacial significance level for several drugs: Afinitor, tension between oil and water was measured Caprelsa, Keytruda, and Zytiga (p<0.001 in all with the addition of different concentrations cases). of selected emulsifiers. Emulsifiers were prepared based on the required HLB value, CONCLUSION: Our results suggest variation in namely Tween 40 HLB=15.6; mixtures of ex-factory price per unit of cancer medicines Tween 40 and Span 85 with HLB=7 and in 30 surveyed countries. The price data 12, and Solutol HS15 HLB=14-16. With were not available for all drugs in all surveyed the selected concentrations of emulsifiers, countries. Our findings may help policymakers emulsions with different proportions of oil to develop appropriate policy interventions to and water were prepared (1:3 oil:water, 1:3 promote price transparency and equity. water:oil, and 1:1). Emulsions were prepared using a rotor-stator homogenizer under the same conditions of 15000 rpm for 10min. Droplet size was monitored by an optical microscope, and viscosity by a cylindrical viscometer. The stability itself was determined organoleptically. 80
15 0
m g
ha Zy rd tig c a Zy 25 aps Af tig ul 0 in e a ito mg 50 ta r2 0 Im bl m . 5 et b gf Ca ruv ilm mg ica ta pr c b el o 14 le at sa t ed 10 0 m ta gh 0 bl m ar e gf ilm d ca t ps co ul at Af e e in Ca ito d ta pr r5 bl el Af et sa in ito mg Ta 300 t r1 ab gr le 0 iss mg t m f o g 40 ilm Ta co tab gr le iss mg at t ed f o 80 ilm co tab m l a et gf Ib ilm ted ra nc co tab e le at Ib 75 t ed ra m nc ta gh e bl 10 ar Ib et d 0 ra c m nc g h aps e ul 12 ar e d 5 ca Ke mg ha psu yt ru le rd d Ke a 50 cap su yt m le ru da g po w 25 de m r g/ m l4 m l
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Al ec en sa
RESULTS: Austria, Germany, Sweden, and Spain ranked high priced countries, while Bulgaria and the UK were at the lower end. The difference between the highest-priced country (Germany) and the lowest-priced countries (Czech Republic & Sweden) varies between 24.98% and 170% for the same medicine. Inferential statistics revealed that location and GDP per capita were significantly
800
Drugs
Figure 1. Boxplot of drug prices (ex-factory price per unit) indexed (price in the lowest priced country=€10), as of May 2017 to April 2019, in 30 European countries. The box displays the interquartile range (IQR); the bottom and top of the box are the 25th and 75th percentiles (the 1st and 3rd quartiles, respectively), and the band near the middle of the box is the median. The lines describe the bottom and top whiskers.
