Marrakech – Morocco has approved substantial price reductions for several medicines used to treat cancer, chronic inflammatory conditions, and other serious illnesses, with some treatments becoming more than MAD 11,000 ($1,100) cheaper.
The reductions are established under Ministerial Order No. 2157.26, signed by former Health and Social Protection Minister Amine Tehraoui on September 22, and published in Official Gazette No. 7552 on October 15.
The order revises public retail and hospital selling prices for 22 pharmaceutical presentations across eight medicine brands, following a proposal from the Moroccan Agency for Medicines and Health Products (AMMPS) and consultation with the Interministerial Price Committee.
The largest reduction concerns Alecensa 150 mg, a targeted therapy used to treat certain forms of lung cancer. The public price of a box containing 224 capsules has fallen from MAD 44,479 ($4,447.90) to MAD 32,863 ($3,286.30), a reduction of MAD 11,616 ($1,161.60), or approximately 26.1%.
The medicine’s hospital price has also decreased from MAD 43,615 ($4,361.50) to MAD 32,226 ($3,222.60), representing a reduction of MAD 11,389 ($1,138.90).
Another cancer treatment, Avastin 400 mg, used in the treatment of several cancers, including colorectal and lung cancer, has seen its public price reduced from MAD 9,510 ($951) to MAD 8,314 ($831.40), saving MAD 1,196 ($119.60) per vial.
The reductions also extend to treatments for chronic inflammatory diseases. Actemra 400 mg, used to treat conditions including rheumatoid arthritis, has dropped from MAD 5,296 ($529.60) to MAD 4,108 ($410.80), a decrease of MAD 1,188 ($118.80).
Meanwhile, Advagraf 5 mg, an immunosuppressant prescribed to prevent organ rejection following transplantation, has fallen from MAD 5,608 ($560.80) to MAD 4,753 ($475.30), reducing the price by MAD 855 ($85.50) per 100-capsule pack.
Patients receiving treatment for cardiovascular conditions are also among those affected. The public price of Crestor 10 mg, a cholesterol-lowering medication, has decreased from MAD 167 ($16.70) to MAD 99.50 ($9.95), while several presentations of the anticoagulant Apxia and cholesterol-lowering medicine Bestor have also been reduced.
The order amends Morocco’s existing pharmaceutical pricing framework established in 2014, revising prices for the specified medicines sold through pharmacies and hospitals.
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