Pharmaceutical pricing policy in Saudi Arabia: findings and implications

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 14-21
Author(s):  
Alian A Alrasheedy
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Cost Savings ◽  
Generic Medicine ◽  
Price Ratio ◽  
Pharmaceutical Pricing ◽  
Generic Medicines ◽  
Medicine Price ◽  
Pricing Policy ◽  
Medicine Prices ◽  
The Impact

Introduction: Many countries have introduced policies and strategies to limit pharmaceutical expenditures. These include pharmaceutical pricing policies and related strategies to control medicine prices and to ensure appropriate and stable prices. The aim of this study was to provide an overview of the current pharmaceutical pricing policy for medicines in Saudi Arabia and to provide an evaluation of the impact of this policy on medicine prices. Methods: A description of the current pharmaceutical policy is presented by reviewing the current official documents and regulations related to pharmaceutical pricing in Saudi Arabia. A price comparison between the original brand medicines and their generic versions was conducted for the top six selling medicines in Saudi Arabia during the period of 2010–2015. Results: The findings showed that Saudi pharmaceutical pricing policy takes into consideration several factors including an international price benchmark, internal price referencing, and the price of the medicine in the country of origin when determining medicine prices. Based on this policy, there were large differences in the prices of generic medicines compared to original brand medicines. The generic medicine to original brand medicine price ratio was 0.87–0.30. However, the price of the first generic medicine was close to the price of original brand medicine, with the first generic medicine-to-original brand medicine price ratio was 0.87–0.81. In this study, there were large differences in the prices of generic medicines for the same molecule. In fact, price ratio among the generic medicines for the same molecule was between 0.96 and 0.18. However, some generic medicines imported from high income countries were cheaper than the medicines manufactured locally or manufactured in other countries in the Middle East. Conclusion: Medicine prices are strictly controlled through the pharmaceutical pricing policy in Saudi Arabia. Overall, the current policy has resulted in significant price differences among medicines, including medicines of the same molecule. Due to this large difference, the cost savings will depend on the product prescribed or procured by the health organization.

The impact of Indonesian generic medicine pricing policy on medicine prices

2013 ◽  
Vol 10 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 219-229 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yusi Anggriani ◽  
Mohamed Izham M Ibrahim ◽  
Sri Suryawati ◽  
Asrul A Shafie
Keyword(s):  
Generic Medicine ◽  
Pricing Policy ◽  
Medicine Prices ◽  
The Impact

General Perception Regarding The Generic and Branded Medicines among the Visitors of the Turaif General Hospital

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (12) ◽  
pp. 3516-3518
Author(s):  
Nawaf Alotaibi
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
General Hospital ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Generic Drugs ◽  
Generic Medicine ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Generic Medicines ◽  
Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Awareness Programs

Background: The utilization of generic drugs in Saudi Arabia is under development. Many studies concerning generic drugs and their utilization by the consumers and promotion by health care professionals have been conducted in Saudi Arabia. Most of these studies revealed general unawareness of generic medicines among the Saudi people. Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the general perception regarding the generic medicines and branded medicines among the visitors of the Turaif general hospital. Methods: This cross‑sectional study was carried out from December 29, 2019, to January 23, 2020, at Turaif General Hospital, Turaif, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia using a questionnaire. The questionnaire was shared with the visitors (N = 527) of the hospital after their agreement, and the data were collected. The obtained data were statistically analyzed by Statistical Product and Service Solutions (SPSS) version 16. Results: The results of this study revealed that more than 50% of the participants were unaware about generic medicines and branded medicines; preferred imported generic medicines over local generics; agreed that the imported generic medicines are of high quality, more effective, and expensive as well. However, almost 50% of the participants were not sure about the quality, efficacy, safety, price, and side effects of the branded medicine. Conclusion: It has been concluded that there is a need to provide awareness programs about branded medicine, imported generic medicine, and locally manufactured generic medicines. Keywords: Branded drugs, Generic drugs, Awareness, Turaif, Saudi Arabia.

scholarly journals Medicine prices in 2017 and 2018 as a reflection of the effectiveness of government measures to ­ensure access to medicines

2020 ◽  
Vol 101 (2) ◽  
pp. 256-263
Author(s):  
C M Razzakova ◽  
L E Ziganshina
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Analysis ◽  
Public Sector ◽  
Private Sector ◽  
Price Ratio ◽  
Generic Medicines ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
International Reference ◽  
The Public ◽  
Reference Prices ◽  
Medicine Prices

Aim. To conduct a comparative analysis of medicine prices in 2017 and 2018 years in Kazan (The Republic of Tatarstan, The Russian Federation) to assess the effectiveness of government measures to ensure the accessibility of medicines. Methods. We conducted a comparative analysis of medicine prices according to methodology developed by Health Action International and World Health Organization (WHO/HAI). The analysis included 30 medicines at a preselected dosage form. We studied the accessibility and prices of original brands and lowest priced generic of each medicine in the public and private pharmacies of Kazan in 2017 and 2018, and analyzed the procurement prices of the same medicines in inpatient hospitals. Medicine prices were compared with international reference prices (The Management Sciences for Health (MSH) reference prices) and expressed as median price ratio (MPR). Results. Prices for originator and generic medicines in the public and private sectors tended to decrease in 2018 compared to 2017, but statistically significant price reduction occurred only for generic medicines in the private sector. For example, the median price ratio for originator products changed from 6.86 to 2.97 in the public sector and from 11.1 to 5.36 in the private sector in 2018 compared to 2017, but the changes were not statistically significant (p 0.05). Prices for generics medicines in the public sector did not change in the studied years and remained at the level of international reference prices (the median price ratio were 1.3 in 2017 and 1.27 in 2018). In the private sector, we found a twofold decrease in the prices of generics medicines in 2018 compared to 2017 [the median price ratio decreased from 3.25 to 1.44 (p 0.05)]. Procurement prices for generics medicines in public hospitals in 2017 and 2018 years did not show statistically significant changes with the median price ratio equal to 1.34 and 0.8, respectively. Conclusion. Government price control measures of medicines contributed to maintaining the price of generic medicines at the reference prices level in the public sector and to halving the price of generic medicines in the private sector in 2018 compared to 2017.

The impact of bariatric surgery on the quality of life of obese individuals in Saudi Arabia

2021 ◽  
pp. 29-36
Author(s):  
Khaled Alghamdi ◽  
Feras Aljohani ◽  
Ala Alrehaili ◽  
Ahmed Alhusayni ◽  
Turki Alrehaili ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Bariatric Surgery ◽  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
The Impact

The Impact of E-Procurement Systems in the Biomedical Industry

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 66
Author(s):  
A. Seetharaman ◽  
Nitin Patwa ◽  
Simon Lai Koek Wai ◽  
Ahammed Shamir
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Cost Savings ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Business Analytics ◽  
Process Automation ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Compliance Cost ◽  
Biomedical Industry ◽  
The Impact

The evolution of the Internet has revolutionised the sourcing and procurement processes in organisations in every industry. The focus of this paper is to analyse the perception of business users on the factors which impact the usage of eprocurement systems in the biomedical industry. There are four factors identified in this research: i.e. control and compliance, cost savings, process automation, and improvements and transparency. The benefit of achieving process automation is the first biggest factor, followed by the need for control and compliance, and transparency, being the second and third factors respectively. The fourth factor, cost savings, is ignored because the users perceived that cost savings will not be realised in the short term, and the returns from the investment could be a couple of years after the eprocurement system has been fully operational. The research also concludes that the ability to perform business analytics and to strengthen the supply chain are the most important factors in measuring the success in the adoption of e-procurement systems

Yoga as an Innovative Solution for Financial Growth of Companies

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ipseeta Satpathy ◽  
B. Chandra Mohan Patnaik ◽  
Chandrabhanu Das
Keyword(s):  
Inventory Management ◽  
Internal Control ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Cost Savings ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Financial Health ◽  
Antibiotic Drugs ◽  
Lifestyle Diseases ◽  
The Impact

The existence of Yoga dates back to more than ten thousand years around India and all nations. The Hindu Mythology considers the genesis of Yoga by incorporating Lord Shiva as Guru and Goddess Parvati as Shishya. Gradually with the development of civilization mankind assessed the benefits of this spiritual discipline and different leaders propagated the Yoga in different ways.In this era of 21st century Baba Ramdev propagated the yoga sutras with simple and effective techniques. The Pranayam and Suryanamaskar are the popular routines practiced by many followers of Baba Ramdev. Today Yoga is practiced as a way of Living to prevent Lifestyle diseases, combat stress and rejuvenate self. Yoga has gained immense popularity over the years with July 21st being celebrated as International Yoga Day. Corporate are also now introducing Yoga for employees as a means to relieve their stress and improve productivity. Long Hours of sitting, standing and excessive use of electronic gadgets puts pressure on bones, joints and responsible for Lifestyle diseases. Yoga is now increasingly used as a wellness solution replacing high cost antibiotic drugs. Employee well-being leads to Cost Savings in terms of personnel by reduced payment of Insurance and Medical Bills. The paper studies the Impact of Yoga to Financial benefits in MSME Organizations in Odisha in light of three different perspectives of Internal Control, Inventory management and Cash Flow. The primary data was collected from a sample of 155 high profile finance executives working in the MSME sector. Ranking Table and Regression Analysis Methodology was used to derive meaningful conclusions. The research takes initiative to transform the effectiveness of Yoga into improved financial health for the Organization. The observation from the study interprets a positive impact of Yoga on good financial health of Organization.

Pound Wise and Penny Foolish? Weight Loss and The Dynamics of Health Care Spending

2011 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas G Koch
Keyword(s):  
Weight Loss ◽  
Cost Savings ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Economic Consequences ◽  
Health Care Spending ◽  
Order Of Magnitude ◽  
Dynamic Measures ◽  
The Cost ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Current estimates of obesity costs ignore the impact of future weight loss and gain, and may either over or underestimate economic consequences of weight loss. In light of this, I construct static and dynamic measures of medical costs associated with body mass index (BMI), to be balanced against the cost of one-time interventions. This study finds that ignoring the implications of weight loss and gain over time overstates the medical-cost savings of such interventions by an order of magnitude. When the relationship between spending and age is allowed to vary, weight-loss attempts appear to be cost-effective starting and ending with middle age. Some interventions recently proven to decrease weight may also be cost-effective.

scholarly journals The Impact of a Reentry and Aftercare Program on Recidivism

2020 ◽  
pp. 003464462097393
Author(s):  
Colin Cannonier ◽  
Monica Galloway Burke ◽  
Ed Mitchell
Keyword(s):  
Sample Selection ◽  
Cost Savings ◽  
Social Program ◽  
Recidivism Rates ◽  
Criminal Justice Reform ◽  
Heterogeneous Effects ◽  
Need To Evaluate ◽  
Reducing Recidivism ◽  
Aftercare Service ◽  
The Impact

In this article, we explore the impact of a reentry and aftercare service program on the likelihood of returning to prison by ex-offenders. Using administrative data within a difference-in-differences design, we find that this social program is associated with a reduction in recidivism rates. Benchmark estimates show that the program was associated with estimated reductions in the probability of recidivating of 6.0 to 8.7 percentage points. The estimate appears to be economically significant as it implies an estimated treated effect in the 15.8% to 19.2% range. We consider the heterogeneous effects of the program on reducing recidivism according to race, age group, and program type. The program helped to reduce recidivism among Whites but not Blacks; older participants were the main beneficiaries while the effectiveness of the program was observed among older participants. Back-of-the-envelope cost-savings analysis is incorporated to estimate the potential savings to the state arising from the reduction in recidivism rates likely attributable to the program. The findings are robust to sample selection bias, alternative specifications, and estimation techniques. Our results offer some implications for the role of faith-based social programs within the context of criminal justice reform to combat reentry of former inmates. They also provide a cautionary tale about the need to evaluate programs not just based on their overall effect.

scholarly journals The Impact of Big Data on Electronic Commerce in Profit Organisations in Saudi Arabia

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 106
Author(s):  
Bader A. Alyoubi
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Big Data ◽  
Inventory Management ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Predictive Analytics ◽  
Business Environment ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Multiple Sources ◽  
The Impact

Big Data is gaining rapid popularity in e-commerce sector across the globe. There is a general consensus among experts that Saudi organisations are late in adopting new technologies. It is generally believed that the lack of research in latest technologies that are specific to Saudi Arabia that is culturally, socially, and economically different from the West, is one of the key factors for the delay in technology adoption in Saudi Arabia. Hence, to fill this gap to a certain extent and create awareness about Big Data technology, the primary goal of this research was to identify the impact of Big Data on e-commerce organisations in Saudi Arabia. Internet has changed the business environment of Saudi Arabia too. E-commerce is set for achieving new heights due to latest technological advancements. A qualitative research approach was used by conducting interviews with highly experienced professional to gather primary data. Using multiple sources of evidence, this research found out that traditional databases are not capable of handling massive data. Big Data is a promising technology that can be adopted by e-commerce companies in Saudi Arabia. Big Data’s predictive analytics will certainly help e-commerce companies to gain better insight of the consumer behaviour and thus offer customised products and services. The key finding of this research is that Big Data has a significant impact in e-commerce organisations in Saudi Arabia on various verticals like customer retention, inventory management, product customisation, and fraud detection.

scholarly journals The Geriatric Medication Game to Raise Community Pharmacists’ Awareness on Older Adults’ Day-to-Day Challenges

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Aisha F. Badr
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Learning Process ◽  
Community Pharmacists ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Learning Activity ◽  
Simulation Games ◽  
Self Reflection ◽  
Satisfaction Rate ◽  
The Impact

<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> In Saudi Arabia; it is estimated that the elderly (aged 60 and above) would reach up to (22.9%) by 2050, compared to (5.6%) in 2017. Simulation games have proven to be a useful and effective method of education in pharmacy schools, as it actively involves participants in the learning process. The objective of this study was to examine the impact of the modified geriatric medication game on community pharmacists’ awareness and attitudes toward older adults with common disabilities. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> A modified geriatric medication game was adopted to stimulate both physical and sensory disabilities in older adults. A total of 9 community pharmacists were gathered in 1 room and were asked to play 2 scenarios each. Self-reflection was assessed and ground theories were analyzed. <b><i>Results:</i></b> All pharmacists felt frustration and anger playing the game (100%), followed by becoming more aware of the extra time and guidance needed with older adults and realized how disabling chronic diseases could be, and felt they needed to improve common perceived attitude towards the elderly (88.89%). Pharmacists also felt empathy, sympathy, and compassion towards this population, needed improvement of common perceived attitude towards older adults, and felt the need to double check with older adults if they have any disabilities before counseling (77.78%). Finally, over half pharmacists (55.5%) wished they had more training on geriatrics during pharmacy school and the need for further review of Beer’s criteria. All pharmacists were satisfied with the game and recommended it to all community pharmacists. <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> Simulation games are a great way to strengthen awareness and change practice accordingly. Pharmacists improved their awareness and attitude towards the elderly and reported a positive perceived value of this learning activity; with a 100% satisfaction rate. Adding a geriatric course with simulation component is recommended for better geriatric care.

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