KUWAIT CITY (Kashmir English): The Ministry of Health of Kuwait reduced the prices of 1,654 medications and pharmaceutical products during an 18-month-time from May 2024 to December 2025.
In an official statement, the ministry said that the government’s move placed drug prices in Kuwait as the lowest among Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.
The initiative is aimed at reducing overall healthcare costs for both citizens and residents.
The step reflects the ministry’s ongoing efforts to ensure affordability while maintaining access to essential treatments while periodically reviewing and adjusting medicine prices.
New medicines at competitive rates
Previous steps in 2024 and 2025 included multiple rounds of price cuts (e.g., up to 60-78% on hundreds of drugs) and approvals for new medicines at competitive rates.
In 2024 as well, Kuwait’s Ministry of Health had reiterated its dedication to implementing the decisions of the Gulf Health Council’s Gulf Drug Pricing Committee, emphasizing the need for a balance between affordable medication prices and support for the local pharmaceutical industry.
In the statement, the Kuwaiti health ministry highlighted that the Drug Pricing Committee is responsible for reducing the prices of medicines based on studies conducted by the Drug Pricing Department within the Drug Control Sector.
The ministry explained that move to lowering medicine prices is primarily driven by the expiration of patents for innovative drugs, which caused prices to drop by 30 to 80 percent, depending on the drug type and country.
The increasing availability of non-innovative generic drugs and therapeutic alternatives in the local market has further increased competition, driving down prices.
The statement further said that aim to reduce drug prices is to meet the needs of Kuwaiti citizens and expats, providing them with medicines at reasonable prices, easing financial burdens on patients, and lowering medical costs for visitors.
The ministry clarified that the drug pricing process takes into account various factors, including expenditures on clinical trials, research and development, manufacturing, packaging, transportation, storage, and the use of technology in the pharmaceutical industry.
