International Medical Products Price Guide Celebrates 30 Years With Expanded Edition And Digital Companion

• Formerly known as the International Drug Price Indicator Guide, the revised publication includes more than 80 non-pharmaceutical products
• The guide lists medical product prices on the international market
• An essential reference for anyone involved in the procurement of medical products
• Essential medicines, vaccines, immunologic agents, disinfectants, fluids and electrolytes, and diagnostic tests and agents are included
• The guide is maintained by US NGO Management Sciences for Health as a contribution toward making essential medical products available to all the world’s citizens and it may be copied freely for in-service education or other nonprofit use

Arlington, VA—March 24, 2017—Management Sciences for Health (MSH), a global health NGO focused on saving lives and improving the health of some of the world’s most vulnerable people, announced today the release of the latest edition of the International Medical Products Price Guide, a list of medicine and medical product prices on the international market. First launched in 1986, the guide contains a spectrum of prices sourced from pharmaceutical suppliers, development organizations, and government agencies. It aims to make cost information more widely available in order to improve the procurement of medicines and medical products at lower prices.

The guide assists supply officers to determine the probable cost of medical products for their programs, allows users to compare current prices paid to prices available on the international market, or assess the potential financial impact of changes to a medicines list, and helps to support rational medicine use education.

“Prices and financing are inescapable factors in determining access to essential medicines,” said Douglas Keene, Vice President of MSH’s Pharmaceuticals and Health Technologies Group. “The guide is an essential reference for anyone involved in the procurement of medical products. It can help countries working toward the Sustainable Development Goal 3 on access to safe, effective, quality and affordable essential medicines and vaccines for all.”

Lower prices can be obtained through bulk purchasing, competition, skillful negotiation, and sound supply management. Comparative price information may help in price negotiations, in locating new supply sources, and in assessing the efficiency of local procurement systems.

The International Medical Products Price Guide primarily focuses on essential medicines, but also includes other products. Items from the WHO Essential Medicines Lists (EMLs) are always included. In addition, vaccines, immunologic agents, disinfectants, fluids and electrolytes, and diagnostic tests and agents are typically covered. Increasingly, medicines required for cancer treatment and chronic disease care, and strengths and dosage forms required for pediatric care are being added to the database. New products are added to the guide each year, as the information reported to us changes.

In addition to a new name and new data, MSH has launched a new website for the guide: www.mshpriceguide.org. It contains online data from 1996 to the present and data from 1991 in the printed versions. The site allows users to define and save lists of products, so as to compare prices, estimate costs, or download data. The new site graphs the historical prices for each product to see changes over time easily.

The publication is maintained by MSH as a contribution toward making essential medical products available to all the world’s citizens. It may be copied freely for in-service education or other nonprofit use.

Additional information on medicines pricing and financing can also be found at the WHO website: http://www.who.int/medicines/areas/access.

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About MSH

Management Sciences for Health (MSH) builds strong health systems that deliver everything it takes—people, money, medicine, information, and facilities—to prevent disease, treat illness, and empower people to lead healthier lives. For more than 45 years in over 150 countries, MSH has worked shoulder to shoulder with our partners to build strong, locally-led health systems that improve reproductive, maternal and child health; fight infectious disease; and control chronic illness. Our work will not be done until all people in need have equitable access to health care. For further information, visit www.msh.org.

Media Contact

Jordan Coriza
jcoriza@msh.org
617-250-9107