Equity Pricing of Essential Medicines

Equity pricing, sometimes called differential pricing or equitable pricing, means charging different amounts to different payers based on [Page 581]their ability to pay. The concept of equity pricing for essential medicines draws on several related strains in contemporary thought, including the concept of access to essential medicines as a human right, and the concept that certain medicines should be considered essential to a health care system because of their proven effectiveness in combating human disease. Equity pricing of essential medicines as a policy principle acknowledges the differing resources of different countries, and the citizens of those countries, to purchase medicines based on a number of factors, including the general wealth or poverty of the country or individual and the value of the national currency as ...