Market Transparency in Medicine Pricing: Pathways to Fair Pricing

Excerpt

Amid rising healthcare expenses, the importance of market transparency in medicine pricing takes center stage. This transparency influences the affordability and accessibility of medicines, posing a complex array of challenges and opportunities worldwide [1, 2]. Market transparency of medicine prices refers to the open and public disclosure of the actual net prices paid for medicines within health systems, allowing for a clearer understanding of the real costs after accounting for all rebates, discounts, and other incentives [2‐4]. Disparities in medicine pricing and access highlight the critical need for efforts to mitigate these issues, with some countries advancing toward transparency and affordability, while others face ongoing struggles, accentuating the global scale of this challenge [5]. Such disparities and the importance of market transparency transcend economic dimensions, which include strategic and policy considerations crucial for ensuring patient access to medicines. As countries work toward enhancing medicine pricing transparency and affordability, tackling the nuances necessitates a collaborative approach. …