Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/7xm6bl/vital_signs_the) has announced the addition of the "Vital Signs The Analyst's Perspective - December 2015 Issue" report to their offering.

This issue of Vital Signs discusses why the US pays more than other countries for drugs, the inside story on wearable electronics, the spreading Zika virus, and soaring US drug costs.

Key Findings:

- Germany was the first EU country to institute reference pricing. At first it was based on the class of drug, but has evolved to a system of therapeutic comparability, looking at active ingredients, therapeutically comparable active ingredients, and comparable pharmacological profiles.

- In Norway, the state-run health system, in addition to looking at reference country pricing, bargains with the drug company, requesting proof of the drug's value in comparison to the existing marketed therapeutics. In Norway, the state pays for most prescription drugs, though patients sometimes have co-pay requirements.

- In Canada, reference pricing was introduced for five drug classes, which represent the largest portion of the national drug budget, including NSAIDs, histamine-2 receptor antagonists, oral nitrates, ACE inhibitors, and calcium channel blocker.

For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/7xm6bl/vital_signs_the

Research and MarketsLaura Wood, Senior Managerpress@researchandmarkets.comFor E.S.T Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call 1-800-526-8630For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716Sector: Pharmaceuticals