College of Pharmacy, An-Najah University, Nablus, Palestine.

E-mail: [email protected], [email protected]

Received: (15/6/2003), Accepted: (9/12/2004)

The objective of this study was to compare and analyze drug price variations

among various oral antibiotics marketed in Palestine. Price of various antibiotics were

obtained from up-to-date price lists available at the pharmaceutical companies and

drug agents. Price range, price ratio and price difference percentage were calculated.

A price range as wide as (3 – 26 new Israeli shekels (NIS)) for ciprofloxacin with a

price difference percentage of 767% was seen. In all of the cases the price difference

was in favor of locally produced companies. This short communication emphasizes the

wide variations in antibiotic prices in Palestine and that physicians need to pay more

attention for such variations.