Special Report: Chartbook of International Pharmaceutical Prices

Payers in all countries are increasing their pressure on manufacturers to cut prices, but prescription drug pricing and reimbursement policies vary markedly among the leading pharmaceutical markets. To best determine pricing, pharmaceutical companies need to be aware of international price differentials. Many studies have compared retail prices in different countries, but international comparisons of pharmaceutical prices at the ex-manufacturer level are relatively uncommon. This chartbook-our eighth annual analysis of international drug prices-fills that need by comparing the prices of 200 of the world's best-selling branded drugs across 13 therapeutic areas and categories in seven countries. The report features 40 data-rich tables and figures that provide price comparisons in seven major markets and by select therapeutic area.

Questions Answered

• In 2010, European prescription drug prices averaged just 50% of U.S. prices. How did prices vary among the five leading European markets? Which therapeutic areas had the highest and lowest prices relative to U.S. prices?
• Japanese drug prices averaged 66% of U.S. prices in 2010. How many drugs were more expensive in Japan than in the United States? What impact will the most recent biennial price revision have on drug prices in Japan?
• The percentage price differential between the United States and other leading pharmaceutical markets is generally much narrower for biologics than for small-molecule drugs. How do prices of monoclonal antibodies in Europe and Japan compare with U.S. prices? How great is the percentage price differential for recombinant proteins?
• Payers in all markets will be looking to increase pressure on manufacturers to moderate prescription drug prices. How fast have drug prices increased in the United States in recent years? What impact have price cuts had on the pharmaceutical industry in Japan? What concerns do drug manufacturers in Japan have with regard to the next biennial price revision, scheduled for April 2012?

Scope

Overall price differentials among markets: ex-manufacturer prices of 200 best-selling drugs in six major markets (France, Germany, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom, Japan) relative to U.S. prices.

Pricing hierarchy in individual markets: U.S. price of each of the 200 drugs under review as a percentage of average prices in the six other markets under review; pricing hierarchy in individual European markets, Japan, and the five European markets overall as a percentage of U.S. prices.

Price variations by therapeutic area: price variations among the 200 drugs in our analysis divided into 13 categories: cardiovascular drugs, metabolic disease therapies, immune and inflammatory disease therapies, infectious disease therapies, neurology drugs, psychiatric drugs, antineoplastic drugs, treatments for the side effects of chemotherapy, gastrointestinal drugs, genitourinary drugs, pain therapies, vaccines, miscellaneous other drugs.

Prices of biologics: prices as a percentage of U.S. prices for 33 biologics (10 monoclonal antibodies and 23 recombinant proteins) in the six other markets under study.

Outlook and implications: implications of U.S. healthcare reform for drug prices in the United States; ongoing strict government control of drug prices in Europe; impact of the most recent pricing reforms in Japan.

Please note, the PDF e-mail from publisher version of this report is for a global site license.