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Photo by Bill Branson
The price of cancer drugs varies widely between European countries, Australia, and New Zealand, according to a study published in The Lancet Oncology.
The study indicates that, overall, the UK and Mediterranean countries such as Greece, Spain, and Portugal pay the lowest average unit manufacturer prices for a group of 31 originator cancer drugs (new drugs under patent).
And Sweden, Switzerland, and Germany pay the highest prices.
The greatest differences in price were noted for gemcitabine, which costs €209 per vial in New Zealand and €43 in Australia, and zoledronic acid, which costs €330 per vial in New Zealand but €128 in Greece.*
“Public payers in Germany are paying 223% more in terms of official prices for interferon alfa 2b for melanoma and leukemia treatment than those in Greece,” noted study author Sabine Vogler, PhD, of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Pharmaceutical Pricing and Reimbursement Policies in Vienna, Austria.
“For gefitinib to treat non-small-lung cancer, the price in Germany is 172% higher than in New Zealand.”
To uncover these price differences, Dr Vogler and her colleagues reviewed official drug price data from the Pharma Price Information (PPI) service of the Austrian Public Health Institute for 16 European countries**, and from the pharmaceutical schedules in Australia and New Zealand.
The researchers compared what manufacturers charged for a unit (ie, price per tablet or vial) of 31 originator cancer drugs in June 2013.
None of these drugs had a unit price lower than €10. Four drugs (13%) had an average unit manufacturer price between €250 and €500, and 2 drugs (6%) had an average unit price between €500 and €1000.
Seven drugs (23%) had an average unit price higher than €1000. For example, plerixafor cost over €5000 per injection.
The price differences between the highest- and lowest-priced countries ranged from 28% to 50% for a third of the drugs sampled, between 50% and 100% for half of the drugs, and between 100% and 200% for 3 drugs (10%).
The researchers noted that information on real drug prices is scarce. The cancer drug prices they surveyed did not include confidential discounts such as those agreed upon in managed-entry arrangements that are increasingly used in countries such as Australia, Italy, the UK, and the Netherlands.
“Some high-income countries have managed to barter the manufacturers down to lower prices, but these agreements, including the agreed prices, are confidential,” Dr Vogler explained.
“Although these agreements ensure patient access to new drugs, other countries risk overpaying when setting drug prices through the common practice of external price referencing, or international price comparison, because they can only use the official undiscounted prices as a benchmark. There needs to be far more transparency.”
“We hope that our findings will provide concrete evidence for policymakers to take action to address high prices and ensure more transparency in cancer drug pricing so that costs and access to new drugs does not depend on where a patient lives.” 
*Gemcitabine and zoledronic acid have generic versions in several countries, and originator prices were decreased in some countries following patent expiry but not in others.
**Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Finland, France, Italy, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the UK.
Photo by Bill Branson
The price of cancer drugs varies widely between European countries, Australia, and New Zealand, according to a study published in The Lancet Oncology.
The study indicates that, overall, the UK and Mediterranean countries such as Greece, Spain, and Portugal pay the lowest average unit manufacturer prices for a group of 31 originator cancer drugs (new drugs under patent).
And Sweden, Switzerland, and Germany pay the highest prices.
The greatest differences in price were noted for gemcitabine, which costs €209 per vial in New Zealand and €43 in Australia, and zoledronic acid, which costs €330 per vial in New Zealand but €128 in Greece.*
“Public payers in Germany are paying 223% more in terms of official prices for interferon alfa 2b for melanoma and leukemia treatment than those in Greece,” noted study author Sabine Vogler, PhD, of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Pharmaceutical Pricing and Reimbursement Policies in Vienna, Austria.
“For gefitinib to treat non-small-lung cancer, the price in Germany is 172% higher than in New Zealand.”
To uncover these price differences, Dr Vogler and her colleagues reviewed official drug price data from the Pharma Price Information (PPI) service of the Austrian Public Health Institute for 16 European countries**, and from the pharmaceutical schedules in Australia and New Zealand.
The researchers compared what manufacturers charged for a unit (ie, price per tablet or vial) of 31 originator cancer drugs in June 2013.
None of these drugs had a unit price lower than €10. Four drugs (13%) had an average unit manufacturer price between €250 and €500, and 2 drugs (6%) had an average unit price between €500 and €1000.
Seven drugs (23%) had an average unit price higher than €1000. For example, plerixafor cost over €5000 per injection.
The price differences between the highest- and lowest-priced countries ranged from 28% to 50% for a third of the drugs sampled, between 50% and 100% for half of the drugs, and between 100% and 200% for 3 drugs (10%).
The researchers noted that information on real drug prices is scarce. The cancer drug prices they surveyed did not include confidential discounts such as those agreed upon in managed-entry arrangements that are increasingly used in countries such as Australia, Italy, the UK, and the Netherlands.
“Some high-income countries have managed to barter the manufacturers down to lower prices, but these agreements, including the agreed prices, are confidential,” Dr Vogler explained.
“Although these agreements ensure patient access to new drugs, other countries risk overpaying when setting drug prices through the common practice of external price referencing, or international price comparison, because they can only use the official undiscounted prices as a benchmark. There needs to be far more transparency.”
“We hope that our findings will provide concrete evidence for policymakers to take action to address high prices and ensure more transparency in cancer drug pricing so that costs and access to new drugs does not depend on where a patient lives.”
*Gemcitabine and zoledronic acid have generic versions in several countries, and originator prices were decreased in some countries following patent expiry but not in others.
**Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Finland, France, Italy, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the UK.
Photo by Bill Branson
The price of cancer drugs varies widely between European countries, Australia, and New Zealand, according to a study published in The Lancet Oncology.
The study indicates that, overall, the UK and Mediterranean countries such as Greece, Spain, and Portugal pay the lowest average unit manufacturer prices for a group of 31 originator cancer drugs (new drugs under patent).
And Sweden, Switzerland, and Germany pay the highest prices.
The greatest differences in price were noted for gemcitabine, which costs €209 per vial in New Zealand and €43 in Australia, and zoledronic acid, which costs €330 per vial in New Zealand but €128 in Greece.*
“Public payers in Germany are paying 223% more in terms of official prices for interferon alfa 2b for melanoma and leukemia treatment than those in Greece,” noted study author Sabine Vogler, PhD, of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Pharmaceutical Pricing and Reimbursement Policies in Vienna, Austria.
“For gefitinib to treat non-small-lung cancer, the price in Germany is 172% higher than in New Zealand.”
To uncover these price differences, Dr Vogler and her colleagues reviewed official drug price data from the Pharma Price Information (PPI) service of the Austrian Public Health Institute for 16 European countries**, and from the pharmaceutical schedules in Australia and New Zealand.
The researchers compared what manufacturers charged for a unit (ie, price per tablet or vial) of 31 originator cancer drugs in June 2013.
None of these drugs had a unit price lower than €10. Four drugs (13%) had an average unit manufacturer price between €250 and €500, and 2 drugs (6%) had an average unit price between €500 and €1000.
Seven drugs (23%) had an average unit price higher than €1000. For example, plerixafor cost over €5000 per injection.
The price differences between the highest- and lowest-priced countries ranged from 28% to 50% for a third of the drugs sampled, between 50% and 100% for half of the drugs, and between 100% and 200% for 3 drugs (10%).
The researchers noted that information on real drug prices is scarce. The cancer drug prices they surveyed did not include confidential discounts such as those agreed upon in managed-entry arrangements that are increasingly used in countries such as Australia, Italy, the UK, and the Netherlands.
“Some high-income countries have managed to barter the manufacturers down to lower prices, but these agreements, including the agreed prices, are confidential,” Dr Vogler explained.
“Although these agreements ensure patient access to new drugs, other countries risk overpaying when setting drug prices through the common practice of external price referencing, or international price comparison, because they can only use the official undiscounted prices as a benchmark. There needs to be far more transparency.”
“We hope that our findings will provide concrete evidence for policymakers to take action to address high prices and ensure more transparency in cancer drug pricing so that costs and access to new drugs does not depend on where a patient lives.”
*Gemcitabine and zoledronic acid have generic versions in several countries, and originator prices were decreased in some countries following patent expiry but not in others.
**Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Finland, France, Italy, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the UK.