Financial Times: Poor countries pay up to 30 times more for medicines
“…The Washington-based Center for Global Development examined billions of dollars in spending by developing countries, concluding that low- and middle-income countries were paying 20 or 30 times more for medicines such as omeprazole, for heartburn, or paracetamol, a common pain reliever. Pharmaceutical and health care markets ‘don’t work for the poorest countries, especially in South Asia and Africa,’ said Kalipso Chalkidou, one of the report’s authors. The study uncovered a stark disparity in the proportion of poorer countries’ use of unbranded generic drugs, usually the least expensive option…” (Neville/Dodd, 6/16).