Access to medicines in the context of the right-to-health framework 2013, para. 35
Paragraph- Paragraph text
- Pricing policies of pharmaceutical industries greatly impact the affordability of medicines. Under the right to health, pharmaceutical companies have a shared responsibility to ensure that the prices of their medicines do not put them out of the reach of a majority of the population. Earlier tiered pricing of essential medicines was the norm, whereby essential medicines were sold systematically at a lower price in developing countries as compared to developed countries. Later many multinationals however opted for universal tiered prices. Tiered pricing policies have now re-emerged. Some multinational companies now engage in tiered pricing between and within countries, based on income levels (equity based pricing), which can be profitable for companies due to increases in volume and attractive to developing countries due to reductions in prices. In practice, however, tiered pricing has been limited to certain medicines such as ARVs, vaccines and contraceptives. Moreover, given the lack of guarantee of low prices and the diminished role for government decision-making in such pricing policies, alternatives such as promoting robust market competition have been recommended as good practices with a view to lowering the prices of medicines.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Means of adoption
- N.A.
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Health
- Year
- 2013
- Paragraph type
- Other
- Reference
- SR Health, Report to the HRC (2013), A/HRC/23/42, para. 35.
- Paragraph number
- 35
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