Pharmaceutical policies for gaining access to high-priced medicines: a comparative analysis between England and Brazil

Abstract

Although the National Health Service (NHS) and the Unified Health System (SUS) are systems with similar  universal principles, they can show different political  measure patterns in the pharmaceutical field. This  paper aimed to provide a comparative analysis of  pharmaceutical policies highlighting strategies to  guarantee access and sustainability to High-Price  Medicines (HPMs) in Brazil and England. We  performed an integrative literature review in  electronic databases, supplemented by grey literature  searched on governmental platforms (laws, decrees,  ordinances, and resolutions). A total of Forty-seven  articles and seven policies were selected and  categorized for analysis. The results showed that both  countries apply distinct policies to ensure access to  HPMs, among them, policies to define price and  reimbursement and actions to regulate the use inside  the system. Also, these countries apply distinct policies to their sustainability as local partnerships for  product development in Brazil and confidential managed agreements with multinational industries in  the England. In conclusion, despite similarities in principles, these countries have been proposing and  applying distinct pharmaceutical policies to maintain access and ensure the sustainability of their health  systems.