Pharmaceutical policies for gaining access to high-priced medicines: a comparative analysis between England and Brazil

Although the National Health Service (NHS) and the Unified Health System (SUS) are systems with similar universal principles, they can show different political measure patterns in the pharmaceutical field. This paper aimed to provide a comparative analysis of pharmaceutical policies highlighting strategies to guarantee access and sustainability to High-Price Medicines (HPMs) in Brazil and England. We performed an integrative literature review in electronic databases, supplemented by grey literature searched on governmental platforms (laws, decrees, ordinances, and resolutions). A total of Forty-seven articles and seven policies were selected and categorized for analysis. The results showed that both countries apply distinct policies to ensure access to HPMs, among them, policies to define price and reimbursement and actions to regulate the use inside the system. Also, these countries apply distinct policies to their sustainability as local partnerships for product development in Brazil and confidential managed agreements with multinational industries in the England. In conclusion, despite similarities in principles, these countries have been proposing and applying distinct pharmaceutical policies to maintain access and ensure the sustainability of their health systems.