Propaganda or the cost of innovation? Challenging the high price of new drugs.

Abstract

Concern is growing about the implications of rising drug prices for individuals and health systems around the world. With little transparency around the costs of drug development, Narcyz Ghinea and colleagues call for greater accountability from drug companies to ensure a fair price for new medicines Key messages The cost of drugs, particularly new biological agents, is overwhelming health budgets around the world Little is known about how much it really costs to develop new medicines and, therefore, what they are really worth This limits the ability of public and private payers to negotiate affordable prices and show that they are achieving “value for money” Basic information about drug development costs needs to be available to both payers and the public to ensure greater accountability