Pharmaceuticals in Peru

Abstract

Pharmaceuticals represent about 15-20 percent of total health sector expenditures in Peru. This proportion is lower than in most other countries, and the shortage of medicines and other pharmecutical supplies is a major constraint to the effective dilivery of services, especially through public health and social security programs. While about 35 percent and 12 percent, respectively, of the population have access to these two health care programs, only about 20 percent of all pharmeceuticals are distributed through public health and social security facilities. For the most part, Peruvians purchase their medications from private pharmacies. A long-standing attempt by the government in Peru to provide free or low-cost basic medicines to the population through public health and social security has been largely unseccessful. Private sector availability of pharmaceuticals, however, has also become increasingly difficult, due to the rising cost of imported materials and governmental price controls on products sold through private pharmacies. This technical report, prepared as part of the HSA-Peru, will review the evolution of low-cost, generic drug programs in relation to the importation and domestic production under price controls of pharmeceuticals in Peru

This report has been prepared with the financial support of US Agency for International Development (USAID)