Tinejdad, Morocco- Following a decree issued by the Ministry of Health concerning the conditions and rules of determining the prices of medicines manufactured locally or imported, the process of many medicines included on a list published by the Ministry will significantly decrease this week.
This step comes pursuant to Ministerial Decree No. 14.787, published in the Official Journal, requiring a review of the prices charged to the public for original and generic as well as “biosimilar” drugs marketed in Morocco.
The reduction applies to 800 medicines, particularly those prescribed for serious diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases and infections, diseases affecting the digestive system, glands, and nervous system, as well as drugs used in anaesthesia.
The reduction in prices will range from 50% to 60% for some drugs.
The Ministry’s decision to lower the cost of medicines was based on concrete data with respect to citizens’ purchasing power and the lack of health insurance available to all citizens.
Pharmacists in Morocco, however, were fiercely against the price reductions, claiming that a reduction in the price of drugs will reduce the benefit of the pharmacists.
The National Union of Pharmacists in Morocco had earlier rejected a draft decree, noting that the pricing rule should have compared countries with an economic benchmark similar to that of Morocco, while the study relied on a benchmark from very economically advanced countries.
Edited by Elisabeth Myers
