[Study on the availability and cost of medicines in the private sector in Mali]

As part of a drive to implement a national pharmaceutical policy in Mali, a joint commission was set up to monitor pharmaceutical products intended for human usage. The commission recommended a study to evaluate the costs of drug procurement by private wholesale importers in Mali, prices charged by wholesalers to private pharmacies and prices paid by patients in private pharmacies. This report describes a study that was carried out in the district of Bamako and regions of Sikasso, Segou and Kayes in June 2004. Data was compiled on 13 importers and 89 pharmacies. Findings showed that the prices of products were relatively stable and that the prices of generic products were highly variable. These findings led to two decrees regulating the price of generic drugs, i.e., first in the public sector (2003) and then in the private sector (2006).