New WHO guideline on pricing policies seeks to help improve affordable access to medicines

The WHO has published a revised guideline concerning ten common pharmaceutical pricing policies, which could help countries improve affordable access to medicines, such as by promoting increased use of quality-assured biosimilar drugs. Affordable access to safe and effective pharmaceuticals represents a key aspect of achieving universal health coverage; such access, however, can be severely impacted by high and unaffordable drug prices in many countries. Pharmaceutical pricing policies – when robustly designed, implemented and frequently reviewed and revised to reflect changing conditions – could help improve affordable access to essential medicines. The WHO’s newly issued guideline – which revises and replaces...