How to Develop and Implement a National Drug Policy (Second Edition): Part II: Key components of a national drug policy: 5. Affordability

How to Develop and Implement a National Drug Policy (Second Edition)
(2001; 96 pages) [French] [Spanish]

Table of Contents

Contributors
Abbreviations and acronyms
Preface
Part I: How to develop and implement a national drug policy
	1. Introduction
		1.1 Essential drugs are not used to their full potential
		1.2 What is a national drug policy?
		1.3 Key components of a national drug policy
	2. The national drug policy process
		2.1 Overview of the national drug policy process
		2.2 Formulating a national drug policy
		2.3 Implementing a national drug policy
		2.4 Monitoring and evaluation
	3. Legislation
		3.1 Importance of legislation and regulations
		3.2 Framework for drug legislation
		3.3 Developing drug legislation and regulations
Part II: Key components of a national drug policy
	4. Selection of essential drugs
		4.1 Essential drugs
		4.2 Old problems and new challenges
		4.3 Strategies for the selection of essential drugs
		4.4 Traditional and herbal medicines
	5. Affordability
		5.1 Challenges
		5.2 Strategies to increase affordability
	6. Drug financing
		6.1 Challenges
		6.2 Drug financing options
	7. Supply systems
		7.1 Public or private? Or mixed?
		7.2 Drug procurement
		7.3 Local manufacture
		7.4 Distribution strategies
		7.5 Drug supply in emergency situations
	8. Drug regulation
		8.1 Need for drug regulation and quality assurance
		8.2 Basic requirements for drug regulation
		8.3 Core elements of drug regulation
		8.4 Stepwise approach to drug registration
		8.5 Quality
		8.6 Safety
		8.7 Efficacy
		8.8 Information and drug promotion
		8.9 Information exchange with WHO and with other agencies
	9. Rational use of drugs
		9.1 Why is it important to promote rational use?
		9.2 Challenges
		9.3 Planning for activities to promote rational use of drugs
		9.4 Core strategies to improve drug use
		9.5 Educational strategies
		9.6 Managerial strategies to promote rational drug use
		9.7 Regulatory strategies to promote rational drug use
		9.8 Promoting rational drug use in the private sector
	10. Research
		10.1 Introduction
		10.2 Strategies to promote research
	11. Human resources development
		11.1 Introduction
		11.2 Strategies for human resource development
	12. Monitoring and evaluation
		12.1 Monitoring and evaluation are part of a national drug policy
References
Selected WHO publications and documents of related interest
Back cover

5. Affordability

Key policy issues

Affordable prices are an important prerequisite for ensuring access to essential drugs in the public and private sectors.

Key policy issues are:

• government commitment to ensuring access through increased affordability;

• for all drugs: reduction of drug taxes, tariffs and distribution margins; pricing policy;

• for multi-source products: promotion of competition through generic policies, generic substitution and good procurement practices;

• for single-source products: price negotiations, competition through price information and therapeutic substitution, and TRIPS-compliant measures such as compulsory licensing, “early workings” of patented drugs for generic manufacturers, and parallel imports.