Developing a Drug Price Reference Index in the Philippines

Methods A database of prevailing drug procurement prices was created from actual purchase orders submitted in 2013 by government procuring entities in the Philippines. The database includes information on the unit cost, volumes of procurement, source/supplier/manufacturer, brand, mode of procurement and location of the hospital for each formulation and strength of all drugs in the National Formulary. Multivariate regression analyses were performed for commonly sourced essential drugs exploring possible determinants of drug costs, which include quantities procured and hospital bed capacity. Further cost comparisons were made for other potential determinants such as mode of procurement, supplier/manufacturer and distance of distribution.