Casablanca – Morocco’s Ministry of Health has approved a list of 70 medicines with lower prices, including some chronic disease treatments.
This new reduction in the price of medicines concerns particular anti-cancer treatments, anti-psychotics, and treatments for diabetes.
One of the pharmaceuticals that have witnessed a significant price drop is TECFIDERA, a treatment intended to minimize the frequency of symptoms of multiple sclerosis. Its price dropped from MAD 1,376 ($125.8) to MAD 1,108 ($101.3) for a 14-unit box and from MAD 8,781 ($802.8) DH to MAD 8,616 ($787.7) for a 56-unit box.
Diabetes treatments also saw a decrease in price. The medicine SITAGLIPTINE is now sold at MAD 128 ($11.7) instead of MAD 205 ($18.7) for 50 mg tablets, and MAD 168 ($15.4) for a box of 100 mg instead of MAD 268 ($24.5).
Read also: Moroccan Health Ministry Announces Price Cuts on 319 Medicines
Another significant decrease concerns solutions for the diagnosis of diseases, such as UNILUX 370 mg/ml vial solution. This medication is used to diagnose certain disorders of the heart, brain, blood vessels, and nervous system.
The price of this drug has been reduced from MAD 903 ($82.6) to MAD 598 ($54.7) for the box of 10 vials of 50 ml and from MAD 156 ($14.3) to MAD 97.2 ($8.9) for 1 vial of 50 ml.
Regarding cancer treatments, the public price of TECENTRIQ 840 mg, one of the most expensive drugs for the treatment of liver, lung, and bladder cancers, has reached MAD 27,015 ($2,469.8). It is sold today in hospitals at MAD 26,493 ($2,422).
Other treatments such as antibiotics have been slightly reduced. This is the case for the price of NOVICLIN 100 mg, which has fallen to MAD 63 ($5.8).
Besides decreasing the prices of chronic disease drugs, the Moroccan government still needs to address the lack of affordability of medicines and the quality of healthcare in public hospitals.
The government plans to vastly expand health insurance access to Moroccans over the coming years, providing hope that poverty will become less of an issue impeding access to healthcare in the North African country.
