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Summary: Lebanon

Lebanon’s drug prices were called for long “among the highest in the world” by the World Bank. As well as being ranked second behind the United States for its healthcare costs, Lebanon is placed at position 92 for the poor quality of its services. Growth in health spending reflects mainly the inefficiency and the fragmentation of the service provision. The Ministry of Public Health has conducted studies, but a coherent national strategy has not yet been implemented to this date. Quality assurance, public procurement practices and update of the drug law are some of the areas that require attention.

The issue of pharmaceuticals surfaced in the year 2000 to become a major concern on the agenda of the parliamentary committee on health. This regain in interest aiming to reduce the national drug bill, and make drugs in Lebanon more affordable culminated with the adoption of Ministerial Decree No. 306/1 in June 2005 changing the price fixing mechanism. The law, resulting from negotiations between the Ministry of Public Health, the Lebanese Order of Physicians, the Lebanese Order of Pharmacists and pharmaceutical importers, in conjunction with consultations with the World Health Organisation, will reduce drug prices by around 20%.