title: Retail prices of essential drugs in Brazil: an international comparison.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Price is a key obstacle for consumer access to essential drugs, especially in developing countries. This study sought to compare the retail prices of essential drugs on the private market in Brazil with that of two international pricing standards.
  
  
  METHODS
  The retail price of all drugs on Brazil's Essential Drugs List, July 2000 edition, were compared to the retail price of the same drugs on the Swedish market and on a referential bulk-price indicator from low-cost suppliers on the international market. Ratios of Brazil's prices to Sweden's prices and Brazil's prices to the international bulk mean price-per-unit for each drug were calculated. Using linear regression analysis, the ratios were also studied in relation to the number of manufacturers.
  
  
  RESULTS
  For the 132 drugs that were listed on both Brazil's and Sweden's lists, unitary retail prices in Brazil were 1.9 times higher. Of the 94 drugs found on both Brazil's list and the international unit-price indicator, Brazil's national mean unit prices were 13.1 more expensive. No relationship was found between the number of manufacturers for each product and the ratios of prices.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Average retail prices of essential drugs in Brazil are significantly higher than in Sweden. Furthermore, international bulk prices indicate that drugs are brought to market by Brazil's private pharmacies at prices that may be excessively high in relation to production costs, creating high profit margins. The expected price-lowering effects of competition were not identified.
authors.affiliation: Curso de Farmácia and Programa de PósGraduação em Gerontologia, Universidade Católica de Brasília, Brasilia, Brazil. nobrega@ucb.br
authors.forename: Otávio de Tolêdo
authors.initials: Ode T
authors.lastname: Nóbrega
authors.forename: André Ricardo
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Marques
authors.forename: Ana Cleire Gomes
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: de Araújo
authors.forename: Margô Gomes de Oliveira
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Karnikowski
authors.forename: Janeth de Oliveira Silva
authors.initials: Jde O
authors.lastname: Naves
authors.forename: Lynn Dee
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Silver
mesh_terms: D001315:Australia; D001938:Brazil; D016527:Drug Costs; D018954:Drugs, Essential / Q000191:economics*; D017850:Economics, Pharmaceutical; D006291:Health Policy; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D013548:Sweden; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D018954:Drugs, Essential