Rafaella’s Literature Update
The following message is courtesy of Dr Raffaella Ravinetto, Public Health Department, Institute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp, Belgium.
Dear colleagues,
I am happy to share this message from the WHO Department of Medicines and Health Products Policies and Standards (HPS), which will be of interest for many of us!
Since the launch of the WHO e‑Learning course on pharmaceutical pricing policies in English last year, the WHO team is now announcing that the course is also available in RUSSIAN, SPANISH and FRENCH through the WHO Academy. According to the Academy’s statistics, more than 700 learners from 98 countries have enrolled in the course to date, demonstrating the strong demand for this content. Please feel free to share the links with anyone in your network who may find this course relevant for personal growth, practical application in policymaking or educational purposes. For any inquiries, you may email fairpricing@who.int.
Best,
Raffaella
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About the course
The course is structured into five modules:
- Module 1: Supply and demand create market prices – gain a basic understanding of how markets function (or should function)
- Module 2: When markets fall short – explore why governments regulate medicine prices
- Module 3: Country policies on medicine pricing – understand mark-up regulation, reference pricing, value-based and cost-plus pricing
- Module 4: Policy influences – examine the effects of promoting the use of quality-assured generics/biosimilars, tendering, pooled procurement, transparency, tax exemptions, and intellectual property management
- Module 5: Assessment – learners will receive a certificate of completion.
Course features
- Scenario- and case study-based learning: hypothetical and real-world examples from both pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical sectors to illustrate specific concepts.
- Section recaps: summary of key concepts at the end of each module to reinforce learning.
- Knowledge checks & reflection: quizzes throughout the course help guide progress.
Who can enrol
This course is open to all, with particular relevance for health system managers and policy analysts who support policymakers in promoting affordable access to pharmaceutical products.