COVID-19 vaccines pricing policy options for low-income and middle- income countries

Abstract

### Summary box Affordable and equitable access to medical products and technologies have long been a challenge for health systems.1 The COVID-19 pandemic has further highlighted this critical challenge, making it a priority agenda issue for countries globally. Prices drive health expenditure and ultimately population-wide coverage and access to novel products. For example, DIME, an Inter-American Development Bank-funded project, estimated that Costa Rica, Ecuador and Mexico would have to allocate five times their annual immunisation budgets to cover their high-risk populations if prices recently announced for two leading vaccine candidates in high-income countries were held for these three countries.1 The high prices increase the financial burden for populations and governments.2 As part of a broader policymaking process, one role for government is developing and implementing well-planned pricing policies and guidelines to help ensure affordable and equitable access.3 The COVID-19 pandemic, however, limits pricing policy options. It is therefore necessary to consider what …