Drugs are a fact of life in health services the world over. Yet half the world’s population lacks regular access to necessary drugs. Ensuring that safe and effective drugs are accessible to those who need them is a responsibility of governments, but many factors - economic, legal, cultural and political - influence drug accessibility.

While touching on all of these issues, this book deals particularly with economic influences on the pharmaceutical sector. It looks in detail from an economic perspective at drug selection, procurement, distribution and prescribing.

It describes different approaches to each of these steps, listing the benefits and disadvantages in differing situations.

In many places drug supply is a haphazard process that reduces the effectiveness of health services and does little to improve health yet costs a lot. The authors urge those involved in a national drug supply system to take a dispassionate look at the way drug supply is financed and organized and, in the light of the policies and strategies described in this book, to make sure that the system reflects the most rational approach for their situation.

ISBN 92 4 154509 7