Pharmaceutical Pricing Practices, Policies, and Outcomes

This study will produce new evidence about international differences in drug prices and utilization. Researchers will conduct analyses of the use and relative cost of medicines in North America, Europe, and Australasia for a traditional basket of primary care drugs and for selected high-priced medicines for cancer and inflammatory diseases. For primary care drugs, the researchers will also compare relative use of on patent and off-patent drugs and, within off-patent drug markets, relative use of generic versus brand-name drugs. Data will be obtained from market research companies (IMS Health), European Union pricing databases, and data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). This project will also collect information on the net-of-rebate cost of prescription medications in participating countries. The research team will consider the cost impact of different rates of prescription drug use and the combined effects of prices, utilization volumes, and therapeutic choices. A project advisory team of international experts will review and direct the data collection and analysis.

The findings will be of immediate interest to policymakers, payers, academic researchers, and journalists in the U.S. and abroad and may inform the policy choices of the incoming presidential administration.