Lack of proper drug price regulation in Africa highlighted by F&S report

Given the high burden of Sub-Saharan Africa's infectious diseases, improvements in healthcare systems are crucial to addressing these underlying issues, according to a new report from business analysts Frost & Sullivan.

A lack of proper price regulations for essential medicine, however, remains a key challenge, threatening accessibility of drugs and continuing to place strain on out-of-pocket payments for pharmaceuticals.

Prices vary significantly within many Sub-Saharan Africa countries, as pharmaceutical products move down the value chain. Wholesalers and distributors in Zimbabwe for instance, add mark-ups of as much as 43% for branded and generic drugs, while innovator drugs are marked up as high as 45%, the report notes. The same situation is evident in Malawi. Retail pharmacies add price mark-ups of approximately 35% for innovator and branded generic drugs, while generic drugs are marked up by an average of 25%.