UK prices of medicines hit all-time low and are less than in comparable EU countries; RPSGB backs original-pack dispensing

The UK has dropped to bottom of the official league table comparing the price of medicines across Europe, a Government report has revealed. For the first time, the UK lags behind Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Spain and Sweden.

The figures are published in an annual report to Parliament from the Department of Health, which sets the price paid for medicines by the National Health Service. The report compares the 2008 prices of the leading 150 branded medicines in 11 European countries, the USA and Australia. The UK ranks 12 out of 13, behind the USA and all of its counterparts in Europe, with only Australia, a new addition to the list in 2007, coming out lower.

Since 2008, prices have dropped further relative to Europe as there was a cut in January 2009 and sterling has fallen against the euro, and a recent analysis by the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) puts the UK behind even Australia in the second quarter of 2009.