OBJECTIVES

: Drugs prices may vary considerably across countries. Prices differ mostly due to different legal countries’ requirements. In many countries drugs prices must follow the rules for international referencing of prices (IRP).

METHODS

: To estimate the differences between drugs prices in EU countries we used the published rank of top 10 global prescription drugs in 2016 in terms of sales. Prices of those drugs were extracted from the application Ex-Price that provides coverage of approved branded and generic drugs prices across EU countries. Manufacturer price level was used for further evaluation. In countries, where this price point is not available, we used relevant margins and tax calculations. The price of the drug was calculated as the average price per one unit (e.g. milligram) and countries were finally ranked according to the level of price of selected drugs.

RESULTS

: Based on data extracted from the application Ex-Price we have created the ranking of EU countries according to the level of average price of selected drugs. Generally, the highest prices are seen in western European countries and in countries where the IRP is not strictly set. The lowest prices of drugs were found in CEE countries where the system of setting of the price is strictly set by various criteria and is regularly pushed down by authorities in order to decrease drugs expenditures.

CONCLUSIONS

: We have found out that there are significant drugs price differences in EU countries. Drugs prices are pushed down mostly by the system of IRP that is set differently in EU countries.