PARIS, Oct 23 (APM) - France's Department of Research, Evaluation and Statistics (DREES) will carry out a comparative study of the prices of patent-protected drugs in France, Germany, the UK, Italy and Spain, according to a source.

Results should be published at the end of 2015 or in early 2016, the DREES source told APM on Tuesday, noting that the work comes under the international “information and exchange cell” of the French economic committee for health products (CEPS).

The level of drug prices in France in comparison with its neighbours is a subject of recurring debate. There are relatively few data, and they are sometimes contradictory which leads to criticism of the methodologies used.

As in the 2012 CEPS report, the 2013 edition, published on Tuesday, included an appendix presenting several comparative studies (APMMA 40173), originating in the case of proprietary medicines from the UK's National Health Service (NHS), the Canadian council that examines the prices of patented drugs, and Santé Suisse (Swiss health insurance).

Also included is a French academic study on recent drug prices between 2008 and 2012. It shows a volume weighted price level that is lower in France compared with Germany and close, but also lower, than in Spain, Italy and the UK, with variations depending on clinical benefit scores (ASMR).

The CEPS information and exchange cell, which met for the first time on November 19, 2013, includes committee members from various ministries and institutions, as well as members of DREES, the French national authority for health (HAS), the secretariat of the organisation for economic co-operation and development (OECD) and the inter-university health product economy international research centre (Paris V Descartes University).

“Its purpose is to throw light on the context and possibly provide specific analytical elements in support of the decision-making process at CEPS,” the committee said.

The first meeting gave rise to a map of the existing databases on drug prices and volumes in several countries and listed the international working groups and exchange networks active in the field of health product economics.

The cell plans to debate six additional subjects in 2015:

:: international news in the field of drug economics

:: negotiations under way at the community or international level

:: comparisons of prices and management costs of health products

:: comparisons of health product management systems

:: studies and academic work in the field of the international drug economics

:: set up and activation of a network of institutional and academic correspondents to exchange information on how health product prices are determined

eh/aki/hlc