Evaluating Drug Prices and Access in Malaysia
Author Information
Author(s): Babar Zaheer Ud Din, Ibrahim Mohamed Izham Mohamed, Singh Harpal, Bukahri Nadeem Irfan, Creese Andrew
Primary Institution: Universiti Sains Malaysia
Hypothesis
How do drug prices, availability, and affordability affect access to medicines in Malaysia?
Conclusion
The study found that medicine prices in Malaysia are significantly higher than international reference prices, leading to poor availability and affordability.
Supporting Evidence
- Prices for innovator brands were found to be 16 times higher than international reference prices in private pharmacies.
- Only 25% of generic medicines were available in the public sector.
- A one-month treatment for peptic ulcer disease costs about a week's wages in the private sector.
Takeaway
In Malaysia, medicines are really expensive, making it hard for people to buy the ones they need. Even when they are free in hospitals, there aren't enough available.
Methodology
Data on drug prices and availability were collected from public hospitals, private pharmacies, and dispensing doctors using WHO-HAI methodology.
Potential Biases
Potential bias in data collection due to reliance on pharmacy students and the principal investigator.
Limitations
Some drugs were not recorded due to different strengths than specified, and low availability in the public sector may affect the robustness of the median price ratio.
Participant Demographics
The study included data from various geographical regions in West Malaysia.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.05
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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