The document outlines a project by Health Action International and WHO focused on improving the availability and affordability of essential medicines through reliable data collection on medicine prices and availability. It highlights updates to the WHO/HAI survey manual, including new methodologies and resources for international comparisons and advocacy. Additionally, it mentions regional workshops aimed at disseminating the new guidance and methods.

1. Measuring medicine prices, availability, affordability and price components Margaret Ewen Health Action International

2. WHO/HAI Project on Medicine Prices and Availability improve the availability and affordability of essential medicines Develop a reliable methodology for collecting and analysing price and availability data across healthcare sectors in a country Price transparency; survey data on a freely accessible website allowing international comparisons Advocate for appropriate pricing policies and programmes, and monitor their impact

3. Measures medicine prices availability affordability component costs Revision based on the experiences of 55+ surveys undertaken in all regions of the world Survey tools and data: www.haiweb.org/medicineprices Second edition of the WHO/HAI survey manual Available now

4. What’s new in the manual? Methodology changes – sampling, medicines, measuring price components New guidance on international comparisons, policy options, advocacy and monitoring Expanded workbook & new resources Regional workshops on new manual & tools 2008: Anglophone Africa, Eastern Mediterranean, Asia 2009: Francophone Africa, possibly other regions WHO/HAI and international pricing policy experts Developing guidance on policies that affect medicine prices and their impact in various settings