For the past four years, Novartis has refuted charges of unfairly pricing a key cancer treatment in Colombia. Internal company data show, though, that the drug maker had also charged much more in the Latin American nation for three other widely used medicines than in dozens of other countries.
In 2013, the most recent year for which data was obtained, Novartis charged at least 58 percent to 626 percent more for 30 tablets of the Exforge high blood pressure medication than in 50 other countries, including high-income nations such as the United Kingdom and Germany. For instance, the price was $92.87 in Colombia, compared with $43.84 in Germany, $36.04 in the UK and $17.27 in Australia.
In 2013, the most recent year for which data was obtained, Novartis charged at least 58 percent to 626 percent more for 30 tablets of the Exforge high blood pressure medication than in 50 other countries, including high-income nations such as the United Kingdom and Germany. For instance, the price was $92.87 in Colombia, compared with $43.84 in Germany, $36.04 in the UK and $17.27 in Australia.
