Market Distributions and Pricing/Reimbursement Policies of Antihypertensive Drugs in Turkey.

Abstract

The increase in the prevalence of hypertension, the development of diagnosis and follow-up methods, the positive progress of blood pressure control rates, and the increase in access to drugs cause an increase in antihypertensive drug expenditures in Türkiye. Reducing drug spending is often not easy while ensuring equal access to drugs for the population. Countries develop appropriate policies according to their political and economic structures in drug pricing and reimbursement processes worldwide. When the pricing and reimbursement amounts of antihypertensive drugs in Türkiye are reviewed, high costs stand out especially for drugs that are not covered by the reimbursement in reference European Union countries. Although there is no evidence that molecular properties are important, there are significant differences in pricing and reimbursement of different molecules of the same class in Türkiye. National health authorities may develop a new pricing/reimbursement policies for molecules not included in the reference European Union countries. Until this happens, physicians’ taking into account the prices of other molecules of the same class in their prescription preferences may benefit the country’s economy in drug expenditures.