As a consequence, the NHS commissioning board is now considering a pharmacy steering group report, which has a host of sensible recommendations to reduce medicine waste, all part of the overall NHS drive to make efficiency savings, and all of which should be implemented.
Policy makers and advocates need this context to set realistic and non-arbitrary goals to reduce medicine prices and mark-ups.
Reforms should consider ways to reduce medicine prices and promote rational use, strengthen administrative controls, and increase incentives for quality health care provision.
This mirrors similar studies across Europe, especially where the tendency of authorities is to reduce medicine prices to keep pharmaceutical expenditure under control [ 5, 7, 39, 50, 53].
The cost of prescribing long-term medications for those with physical chronic diseases is rising and there is a drive to reduce medicine wastage and costs.
On the contrary, private pharmacies choose to reduce medicine prices to attract customers and remain competitive in the pharmaceutical market; hence, the price differences increase.
A country that controls the prescription practices of doctors with an essential medicines list covering a few medicine categories, in order to reduce medicine cost and promote rational medication is rare.
Surveys reporting unaffordable medicine prices and high mark-ups have spurred efforts to reduce medicine prices, but price reduction goals are arbitrary in the absence of information on pharmacy costs, revenues, and profit structures.
The Working Group on Access to Essential Medicines established by the United Nations Millennium Project suggested that generic competition, price negotiation, differential pricing, and effective procurement are the four strongest levers to reduce medicine prices [ 9]. [ 10] (delete).
It is rare for a country to reduce medicine costs and promote rational medication by controlling the prescription practices of doctors with an EDL covering a few medicine categories.
