Africa pays more than Asia and Europe for key antibiotic ciprofloxacin

A global price survey has revealed that the price of a commonly used antibiotic ciprofloxacin is beyond the reach of many people in Africa because of its high cost. Health Action International (HAI) conducted the spot check on November 30, 2009, to ascertain the full price which a patient would pay for ciprofloxacin, in the nearest private retail pharmacy.

Ciprofloxacin, developed and marketed by German drug major Bayar under trade names such as Cipro, Ciproxin and Ciprobay, is classified by the World Health Organization as an essential medicine and is widely used to treat a wide range of infections including diarrheal diseases, sexually transmitted and opportunistic infections in people living with HIV.

The survey covered 93 countries worldwide, 22 of them in Africa. While prices vary across regions in Africa, the cost of a course of treatment with ciprofloxacin in Africa is higher than in other regions of the world. In Africa, the average price for the originator brand ($45.37) was higher than in South East Asia ($17.46), the WHO Eastern Mediterranean region ($36.47) and the WHO European region (US$43.63).