Evaluation of cost-effective therapy by comparing the prices of different brands of same formulations in Pakistan

Abstract

The current study was carried to evaluate the cost-effective therapy by comparing the prescribe research brand with the alternate available generic brand in the market. Overall, forty prescriptions were selected for Cardiovascular diseases, Diabetes, Neurological disorders, and pediatrics. Ten for each specialty, and were analyzed for cost effectiveness. The analyze data shown that there is a significant difference in the cost of prescribed and alternate available marketed brands, because in Pakistan the medicines are prescribed through brand names which is the major factor. The data were collected from different regions/parts of Pakistan from number of public and private sector hospitals and retail pharmacies impacting the poor patients and LMICs. The results show that there is a huge gap in the price of different brands in Pakistan. For CVDs, the possible maximum reduction in the cost of all prescriptions by choosing alternative brands is 66%. For neurological disorders 47%, for diabetes and pediatrics are 21% and 43% respectively it is concluded that there is a need of clear and strict policies considering the price of branded medicines in Pakistan. It is suggested that the best solution for these problems will be the implementation of generic prescription and utilizing the expertise of the pharmacists in health care system of Pakistan