Local context
A medicine’s approval, availability and payment coverage are different questions. Start with your country’s regulator and current public or insurance coverage rules.
The United States has a mixed public-private healthcare system. Most people get prescription coverage through employer-sponsored or individual private insurance, while Medicare covers most people aged 65 and over and Medicaid covers many people with low incomes. Medicines are dispensed by licensed retail, mail-order, and hospital pharmacies against a prescription from a licensed prescriber.
Read country guideThe United Kingdom's healthcare is dominated by the publicly funded National Health Service (NHS). Prescriptions are written by NHS or private clinicians and dispensed by community pharmacies. In England a fixed prescription charge applies per item for most adults; Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland abolished prescription charges for their residents.
Read country guideCanada's publicly funded system (Medicare) covers hospital and physician services, but outpatient prescription medicines are covered through a patchwork of provincial and territorial public drug plans, employer and private insurance, and out-of-pocket payment. Each province decides which residents its public plan covers — commonly seniors, people on social assistance, and those with high drug costs relative to income.
Read country guideAustralia combines a public system (Medicare) with private insurance. The Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) subsidises a wide range of prescription medicines for all Medicare-eligible residents, so patients pay a regulated copayment rather than the full price. Prescriptions are dispensed by community pharmacies.
Read country guideAdditional markets will appear only after their local information has been checked. These guides do not determine individual eligibility or replace local professional advice.
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