Use of Pharmacoeconomics in Drug Reimbursement in Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom: What Can We Learn from International Experience?

Several countries around the world have been using pharmacoeconomics as part of their formal decision-making process for the pricing or reimbursement of pharmaceuticals. Australia was the first jurisdiction to adopt such a policy in 1993 and was quickly followed by New Zealand and several Canadian provinces. In addition, several European countries request economic submissions for some, or all, new medicines, including Belgium, Finland, Ireland, Norway, The Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. Similar policies have also been recently adopted by some Eastern European countries, plus jurisdictions in Asia (e.g., South Korea) and Latin America (e.g., Brazil).