National drug policies policy considerations

The following sections follow the framework developed by Cohen, Cercone, and Macaya (2002) to discuss government responsibilities in facilitating a robust pharmaceutical system and access to essential medicines. The discussion begins with national drug policies, followed by responsibilities in registration, selection, procurement, distribution, and service delivery. The discussion concludes with policy considerations. 

In countries, such as some of the member states of the European Community, where social health insurance funds are the largest purchasers of drugs, national reference pricing can have a considerable effect on corporate strategies for R D and on marketing policies. 

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