How significant are price differences between countries?
Forexamples of differences in drug prices between countries, see the comparison of EC and USA HIV drug prices from Table 1 of CPT’s coments on South Africa parallel imports legislation, or Dr. K Balasubramaniam’s (Health Action International) study of prices for Ranitiidine (Zantac), Amoxicillin (Amoxicillin, Amoxil, Trimox) or Captopril (Capoten). One observes wide ranges in drug prices. For example, prices for SmithKline Beechman’s version of Amoxil was $8 in Pakistan, $14 in Canada, $16 in Italy, $22 in New Zealand, $29 in the Philippines, $36 in the USA, $34 in Malaysia, $40 in Indonesia, and $60 in Germany. In other examples, Bristol-Myers Squibb sells Taxol, an important cancer drug, for less in some markets outside the United States, but insists on charging more for ddI, an AIDS drug, in New Zealand than in the US. BK Keayla’s comparisons of prices of three drugs in India, Pakistan, Indonesia, UK and the USA provide further examples. Glaxo’s prices for Zantac and Voveran were lo
