Global Health Seminar - Can Governments Save on Diabetes Costs with Pooled Procurement? The effect of the COMISCA Joint Negotiation Mechanism on the prices of insulin in Central America.

Event details

Authors:

Alexandra Quiñones Nunura*, Rodrigo Moreno-Serra*, María de los Ángeles Campos**, Pilar Lagos**, Margarita García Gonzales**
*Centre for Health Economics, University of York
*COMISCA-SE

Abstract:

Diabetes is among the leading causes of death in the Americas. In recent years, Central America has experienced a rise in diabetes prevalence, prompting countries in the region to seek cost-effective methods to mitigate the financial burden of increasing treatment costs. The COMISCA negotiation  mechanism, a joint regional initiative, aims to counteract the oligopolistic pricing of medicines in Central American countries, potentially yielding significant savings for national health budgets. This paper evaluates the impact of  the COMISCA joint negotiation mechanism on insulin price dynamics, national health budgets, and health outcomes. Utilizing a quasi-experimental design and the synthetic difference-in-differences method, we compare member countries of the mechanism with non-member countries in Latin America. Preliminary findings indicate that the COMISCA mechanism has successfully reduced insulin prices for participating countries.

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Alexandra Quiñones Nunura, Centre for Health Economics, University of York

Alexandra's web page