Discipline of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.
Afr J Prim Health Care Fam Med. 2021 Sep 15;13(1):e1-e11. doi: 10.4102/phcfm.v13i1.2986.
Limited availability of medicines in public facilities and unaffordable prices in the private sector act as barriers to medicines' access. Patients in Eswatini may be forced to buy medicine from the private sector resulting from chronic medicines' shortages in public health facilities. The extent to which they can afford to do so is unknown.
To determine the availability, price and affordability of medicines in the retail pharmacies in Eswatini, and to compare the results regionally and internationally.
Retail pharmacy sector in the four administrative regions of Eswatini.
Data on availability, price and affordability to patients for 50 medicines in the originator brand (OB) and the lowest priced generic (LPG) equivalent, were collated using the standardised World Health Organization/Health Action International methodology from 32 retail pharmacies in the four regions of Eswatini. Prices were then compared with selected countries.
The overall mean availability of all medicines in selected retail pharmacies was 38.5%; standard deviation [s.d.] = 20.4% for OBs and 80.9%; s.d. = 19.0% for LPGs. The overall median price ratio (MPR) in the surveyed pharmacies was 18.61 for the OBs and 4.67 for LPGs. Most standard treatments with LPGs cost less than a day's wages whilst for OBs cost more than a day's wages. The differences between Eswatini and South African prices were statistically significant.
Drug pricing policies and price monitoring tools are needed for the whole pharmaceutical chain in Eswatini to monitor availability, affordability and accessibility of medicines to the general populace.
公共设施中药品的供应有限，私营部门的药品价格过高，这成为了药品获取的障碍。由于公共卫生设施长期缺乏药品，斯威士兰的患者可能被迫从私营部门购买药品。但他们能够负担得起的程度尚不清楚。
确定斯威士兰零售药店的药品供应情况、价格和可负担性，并在区域和国际范围内进行比较。
斯威士兰四个行政区的零售药房部门。
采用世界卫生组织/国际健康行动组织的标准化方法，从斯威士兰四个地区的 32 家零售药店收集了 50 种药品的原始品牌（OB）和最便宜的仿制药（LPG）的供应情况、价格和患者可负担性数据。然后将价格与选定国家进行比较。
在选定的零售药店中，所有药品的总体平均供应率为 38.5%；OB 的标准差为 20.4%，LPG 的标准差为 80.9%。调查药店的总体中位数价格比（MPR）为 OB 为 18.61，LPG 为 4.67。大多数使用 LPG 的标准治疗费用低于一天的工资，而 OB 的治疗费用则高于一天的工资。斯威士兰和南非的价格差异具有统计学意义。
斯威士兰需要制定整个医药供应链的药品定价政策和价格监测工具，以监测普通民众的药品供应、可负担性和可及性。
