With the aim of identifying common strategies to reduce the budgetary strain on health systems from the procurement of new and high-cost medicines, delegates from more than 20 countries of the Americas will meet this week in Santiago, Chile, convened by the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization.
Countries will discuss strategies to reduce the strain that the procurement of these medicines places on health budgets
Santiago, Chile, 1September 2015 (PAHO/WHO) — With the aim of identifying common strategies to reduce the budgetary strain on health systems from the procurement of new and high-cost medicines, delegates from more than 20 countries of the Americas will meet this week in Santiago, Chile, convened by the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization.
In the meeting, which will take place on 2-3 September with the participation also of nongovernmental organizations, the delegates will discuss the impact that incorporating these high-cost medicines has on the health sectors of low- and middle-income Latin American and Caribbean countries. They will also address such themes as price transparency in the international market for pharmaceuticals, how to stimulate competition and the effects of free trade agreements that do not always take public health into account. They will also exchange experiences and lessons learned.
"When our Member States join forces and prioritize action through common mechanisms, anything is possible," said Carissa F. Etienne, Director of PAHO/WHO, in May during a panel discussion about high-cost medicines at the World Health Assembly. Dr Etienne added that access to safe, quality and cost-effective medicines is an essential requisite for universal access to health and universal health coverage.
The countries of the region are currently confronting challenges in the procurement of new and high-cost medicines because these medicines cause an excessive strain on the budgets of their health systems and threaten the systems' sustainability. These medicines tend to be more expensive in low- and middle-income countries.
In general, mechanisms such as pooled procurement by countries have helped to reduce medicine prices. Since 2000, the PAHO Strategic Fund has worked to consolidate the demand of 19 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean to obtain quality medicines at lower prices, including medicines for the noncommunicable diseases (such as cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases) that account for 80% of deaths in the Americas.
"The Strategic Fund is an effective mechanism for improving access to high-cost medicines in the low- and middle-income countries of the Americas," said James Fitzgerald, Director, PAHO/WHO Health Systems and Services department. "Its procurement of high-quality antiretrovirals against HIV/AIDS is ample testimony to this fact. Nevertheless, in middle-income countries, the procurement of new, single-source, monopolistic and high-cost medicines still poses a challenge."
About the meeting
The meeting, titled "High-cost and strategic medicines: Mechanisms to ensure universal access," will include the participation of delegations from Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, the Dominican Republic, Suriname and Uruguay.
The Chilean government will host the meeting, and the Chilean health minister, Carmen Castillo, is scheduled to speak at the office opening on 2 September.
Among the nongovernmental organizations that are expected to attend are: Doctors Without Borders, Drugs for Neglected Diseases, the Institute for Clinical Effectiveness and Health Policy, the Medicines Patent Pool, and the South American Institute of Government in Health.
###
PAHO, founded in 1902, is the oldest international public health organization in the world. It works with its member countries to improve the health and the quality of life of the people of the Americas. It also serves as the Regional Office for the Americas of WHO.
Links
