Introduction
In recent years, improved price transparency of pharmaceuticals has emerged as an important yet highly debated approach to manage medicine prices. This approach is believed to contribute to expanded access to medicines through the reduction of medicine prices The importance of promoting price transparency has also been reflected in various initiatives and regulations aiming to enhance transparent pricing. One such example is the Medicines Transparency Alliance (MeTA) initiative by the World Health Organization (WHO), which sought to develop national-level multistakeholder platforms to share data on the selection, procurement, quality, availability, pricing, promotion and use of medicines [The underlying rationale for promoting price transparency is that it may improve economic efficiency, as conventional economic theory indicates; assist policymakers and researchers through reliable price information; empower buyers to negotiate more strategically; increase accountability of manufacturers and governments for prices; and promote cost-effective decision-making by prescribers and patients [At the same time, there are concerns that improving transparency may lead to an increase in prices for lower-income countries, as manufacturers might abandon differential pricing schemes and apply uniform pricing for all countries to refrain from the appearance of unfair pricing 