Belgian drug prices low by European standards

Belgium's drug industry association (pharma.be) has commented on figures published by the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development for 2006, which some local reports have argued presents the country as an expensive market for pharmaceutical products. In the first place, the pharma.be notes, the OECD's figures indicate that Belgium should be considered as below average cost in a spending-per-head comparison with other European Union countries.

Among the nations with higher cost per person are Austria, France, Germany, Greece and Spain. No figures were available in the OECD report for Ireland, the Netherlands or the UK.