European Governments Must Cooperate To Counter High Prices For New Medicines, WHO Report Says

Reuters: WHO urges Europeans to work together to counter high drug prices
“European governments need to be better at sharing expertise about the cost-effectiveness of new medicines to counter the budget strains posed by the arrival of a wave of costly drugs, according to the World Health Organization (WHO)…” (Hirschler, 3/26).

WHO: New WHO report shows that transparency and cooperation help to reduce high prices for new medicines
“As the number of new medicines introduced in Europe rises, governments are finding it increasingly difficult to afford them, according to a comprehensive study released [Thursday] by the WHO Regional Office for Europe. The study illustrates the challenges for national health systems, with specific examples, and shows that few countries in the WHO European Region have mechanisms in place to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of new drugs; this hampers the value-assessment and decision-making processes…” (3/26).

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