See International Medical Products Price Guide for details about the guide and the two kinds of prices: buyer and supplier prices. The Price Guide Price Sources page states that buyer prices "are included for information purposes" and "should not be used as international reference prices". In the WHO/HAI price/availability survey methodology, how representative reference prices are generally depends on the number of suppliers quoting for each product. Some suppliers are international but others serve only a small region of one country. The MSH Price Guide was updated annually, but has not been updated since 2015.
Stats on 322 drugs
editOf the 322 drugs on Wikipedia with MSH Price Guide references
- 96 (30%) have no suppliers
- 46 (14%) have one supplier
- 45 (14%) have two suppliers
- 50 (16%) have three, four or five suppliers
- 85 (26%) have more than five suppliers
- 295 (92%) of our prices are from 2014.
- 27 (8%) are from 2015.
Stats on 84 drugs A-C
editMore details have been recorded for 83 drugs with letters A-C. When you search for each drug, several records may be returned corresponding to different variants of the drug: different tablet strengths, or other formulations such as liquid syrup, vial for injection or topical cream, or extended-release, dispersible or chewable tablets.
- 1 drug (Bevacizumab) has no records for any variants, and the article gives a price.
- 28 drugs (33%) have one variant in the database.
- 54 drugs (65%) have two or more variant in the database and we cite only one for the price.
The source does not include a treatment plan (e.g., take two 50mg tablets twice a day for seven days) nor recommend a typical single dose (e.g., 100mg, or 5ml spoon of syrup) nor recommend a typical formulation (e.g., enteric coated pill once a day vs standard pill twice a day). Of the 83 drugs examined, prices are quoted for:
- 4 (5%) per course of treatment/cycle
- 11 (13%) per day
- 17 (20%) per month
- 20 (24%) per unspecified dose
- 10 (12%) per unspecified "pill" or "vial" or "each".
- 21 (25%) per specific quantity (not necessarily a dose)
WHO/HAI Global Core Medicines
editFor comparison with the 322 drugs in Wikipedia, here are the 14 global core medicines for the WHO/HAI price/availability survey. Each medicine has been chosen by WHO/HAI to represent a typical treatment for a condition (e.g., depression) and patient type (adult/paediatric). The exact strength and formulation is specified, along with a treatment plan in order to work out total or ongoing treatment costs. Of the 14 core drugs, 13 drugs all have 10 or more suppliers, median 12 and max 14.
There is one exceptional drug, simvastatin, which has only one supplier, though this supplier (IDA) is large and sells to over 100 countries. For this drug, the price/availability surveys note the lack of availability in the public sector (Bangladesh: "being available almost exclusively in the private sector" [1], Malawi: "simvastatin showed poor availability and affordability"[2], Haiti: "particularly low availability ... in public, non-profit and mixed sectors" [3]).
| Drug | Indication | Unit strength/form | Quantity | Treatment Schedule | MSH | #Suppliers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amitriptyline | Depression | 25 mg tablet | 90 tablets | Three times a day for a month | 2015 | 12 |
| Amoxicillin | Adult respiratory tract infection | 500 mg tablet | 21 tablets | Three times a day for a week | 2015 | 12 |
| Atenolol | High blood pressure | 50 mg tablet | 30 tablets | Once a day for a month | 2015 | 11 |
| Captopril | High blood pressure | 25 mg tablet | 60 tablets | Twice a day for a month | 2015 | 11 |
| Ceftriaxone | Adult respiratory tract infection | 1 g/vial for injection | 1 injection | Once | 2015 | 12 |
| Ciprofloxacin | Adult respiratory tract infection | 500 mg tablet | 14 tablets | Twice a day for one week | 2015 | 14 |
| Co-trimoxazole | Paediatric respiratory tract infection | 8+40 mg/ml suspension | 70ml | 5ml twice a day for one week | 2015 | 14 |
| Diazepam | Anxiety | 5 mg tablet | 7 tablets | Once a day for a week | 2015 | 11 |
| Diclofenac | Arthritis | 50 mg tablet | 60 tablets | Twice a day for a month | 2015 | 11 |
| Glibenclamide | Diabetes | 5 mg tablet | 60 tablets | Twice a day for a month | 2015 | 13 |
| Omeprazole | Stomach ulcer | 20 mg tablet | 30 tablets | Once a day for a month | 2015 | 10 |
| Paracetamol | Paediatric pain and inflammation | 24 mg/ml suspension | 45ml | 5ml three times a day for three days | 2015 | 12 |
| Salbutamol | Asthma | 0.1 mg/dose inhaler | One inhaler | 200 doses | 2015 | 10 |
| Simvastatin | High cholesterol | 20 mg tablet | 30 tablets | Once a day for a month | 2015 | 1 |
WHO/HAI Regional Core Medicines (Haiti 2015)
editThe following are the 16 regional core medicines chosen for the 2015 price/availability study in Haiti. The number of suppliers recorded is lower. Of those with fewer than three supplier records in the MSH database, the survey of Haiti found:
- Atorvastatin has 0% availability in the public, non-profit and mixed sectors.
- Beclometasone has 0% availability in the public, private, non-profit and mixed sectors.
- Clonazepam has 0% availability in the public, non-profit and mixed sectors.
- Fluoxetine has 0% availabilty in the non-profit and mixed sectors.
| Drug | Indication | Unit strength/form | MSH | #Suppliers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amoxicillin | Infectious disease | 50 mg/ml syrup | 2015 | 8 |
| Amlodipine | Hypertension | 5mg tablet | 2015 | 6 |
| Atorvastatin | Hypercholesterolemia | 10mg tablet | 2015 | 2 |
| Azithromycin | Infectious disease | 500mg tablet | 2015 | 7 |
| Beclometasone | Asthma | 250mcg/dose Inhaler | 2015 | 1 |
| Clonazepam | Anxiety | 2 mg tablet | 2015 | 0 |
| Clotrimazole | Fungal Infection (topical) | 1% cream | 2015 | 11 |
| Enalapril | Hypertension | 10 mg tablet | 2015 | 3 |
| Fluoxetine | Depression | 20 mg tablet | 2015 | 1 |
| Furosemide | Hypertension | 40 mg tablet | 2015 | 13 |
| Hydrochlorothiazide | Hypertension | 25 mg tablet | 2015 | 5 |
| Ibuprofen | Pain/inflammation | 400 mg tablet | 2015 | 10 |
| Metformin | Diabetes | 850 mg tablet | 2015 | 5 |
| Metronidazole | Infectious disease | 500 mg tablet | 2015 | 4 |
| Phenytoin | Seizure Disorder | 100 mg tablet | 2015 | 11 |
| Ranitidine | Ulcer | 150 mg tablet | 2015 | 5 |