Medication Availability

• 15+ specific medications available at significantly lower cost or easier access than major origin countries: cyclosporine USD 50/month vs USD 500/month in US (OTC), antibiotics OTC in ~65% of pharmacies vs prescription-required in US, medical cannabis legal with prescription, misoprostol/mifepristone more accessible than many US states, ataluren and burosumab importable via MVND for rare diseases
• Established medical tourist infrastructure: private consultations USD 10–22 in-person or USD 7–15 via telemedicine; English-speaking physicians in Bogotá, Medellín, Cali; TRT Colombia and Zerenia cannabis clinic specializing in international patients; JCI-accredited hospitals (Santa Fe, Valle del Lili, FOSCAL)
• MVND (Vital Unavailable Medicines) system enabling importation of unapproved drugs for individual patients in 8–15 business days with ~76% approval rate; 425 medicines on MVND list as of 2024
• Drug shortage crisis since late 2023 described as 'the most significant barrier for medical tourists with ongoing medication needs,' with shortages of psychiatric medications, epilepsy drugs, chronic-disease therapies, and ADHD medications persisting as of April 2026

Read the full Colombia report →

• Equecabtagene autoleucel (FUCASO) NDA accepted January 2025—first country outside China; no FDA/EMA filing yet as of that date
• Special Access Route enables 14-working-day approval for unregistered medications with no fees, providing access to emerging therapies ahead of local registration
• Project Orbis participation enables concurrent or near-concurrent approval with FDA/EMA for cancer medications (TALVEY, IMDELLTRA, DATROWAY, RYBREVANT, Tecentriq SC approved 2024-2025)
• WHO Listed Authority (ML4 maturity, 2026) and ICH member; PIC/S-aligned GMP standards across all facilities
• Report's explicit assessment: 'offers few medications simply unavailable in the US, UK, or EU—its value proposition lies more in streamlined private-pay access' rather than unique medication availability

Read the full Singapore report →

• 5-6 specific medication examples: insulin icodec (approved UK/EU, rejected FDA 2024), ataluren/Translarna (approved UK/EU for Duchenne MD, never FDA-approved), domperidone (UK prescription, never FDA-approved), chloramphenicol eye drops (OTC UK, prescription US), melatonin (POM UK, OTC US)
• MHRA is full ICH member with International Recognition Procedure enabling 60-110 day approvals based on trusted reference regulators (FDA, EMA, TGA, Health Canada)
• UK pharmacies do not fill foreign prescriptions; medical tourists must obtain UK private GP consultation (£49-£310) before accessing any prescription medications
• World-class infrastructure: Royal Marsden Private Care (60,000+ annual patients), Great Ormond Street International Patients Centre, Cleveland Clinic London, The London Clinic, multiple Harley Street specialists with multilingual support
• Report states: 'The UK is not a primary destination for medication access tourism in the way that countries with looser OTC classifications (e.g., Thailand, Mexico) attract travellers'
• Orphan drug availability ranking declined from 2nd globally (2013) to 11th (2024)
• EAMS has provided pre-authorisation access for 1,200+ patients since 2014, but no special medical tourism programme exists
• Excellent quality assurance: MHRA removed nearly 28 million unauthorised medicine doses; Yellow Card adverse drug reaction system operational since 1964

Read the full United Kingdom report →

• 9 specifically named medications with documented access advantages: tramadol (non-controlled unlike UK/Australia), etoricozib (not FDA-approved), Zolgensma (gene therapy), Soliris, Strensiq, Besremi, pembrolizumab, nivolumab, atezolizumab, plus informal OTC access to NSAIDs, antibiotics, and hormones
• Established medical tourist processes: 1-month personal medication allowance documented in Regulation 7, clear requirements for controlled substances, Named Patient Programme with 2-4 week approval, special import pathway for life-threatening conditions
• Multiple mature healthcare facilities with international services: Prince Court Medical Centre, Gleneagles, Sunway Medical Centre, IHH Healthcare—collectively serve 140-170+ countries with dedicated international patient coordinators and in-house specialty pharmacies
• Counterfeit and unregistered pharmaceutical crisis: RM 12.76 million counterfeit medicines seized in first half 2023, nationwide study confirms presence of falsified products, enforcement gaps at customs with limited Pharmacy Enforcement Officer authority

Read the full Malaysia report →

• Dipyrone (metamizole) is OTC in Brazil but banned by FDA since 1977, with 215+ million doses dispensed annually
• Sildenafil and tadalafil are available without retained prescriptions in Brazil vs. prescription-required in US/UK/Canada
• Brazil's RDC 205 rare disease pathway reduced approval time from 448 to 246 days; 124 medications approved 2017-2025; orphan drug FDA-ANVISA gap reduced fourfold
• Medical cannabis: 582 products authorized for patient import as of 2024; February 2026 regulations authorize compounding pharmacy dispensing and domestic cultivation
• ANVISA is ICH member (2016), PAHO NRAr-designated, and PIC/S member with internationally recognized GMP standards
• Multiple JCI-accredited hospitals (Albert Einstein, Sírio-Libanês) maintain International Patient Centers with medication coordination services
• Study 2008-2023: ANVISA approved zero oncology drugs that FDA and EMA had not approved; median approval lag 558 days after FDA

Read the full Brazil report →

• Six specific medications available in Poland but not in major origin countries: vernakalant (IV antiarrhythmic, EMA 2010 vs. FDA declined 2008/2019), tiratricol for MCT8 deficiency (EMA Feb 2025, FDA PDUFA Sept 2026), aztreonam-avibactam for MDR infections (EMA Mar 2024, not FDA-approved), butamirate cough suppressant (EU approved, not marketed in US/Canada), medical cannabis (prescription-accessible since 2017), and OTC codeine/paracetamol combinations
• Poland lacks formal compassionate use program; instead relies on case-by-case ministerial 'targeted import' decisions that are slow and unpredictable, unsuitable for short-term medical tourists seeking pre-approval access to investigational medications
• Non-EU prescriptions (US, Canada, Australia, UK post-Brexit) are not recognized by Polish pharmacies; foreign patients must consult Polish physician first to obtain locally-issued prescription, adding friction and cost compared to countries with established medical-tourism prescription bridges
• Robust pharmacy infrastructure with approximately 15,000 licensed community pharmacies, EU-standard cold chain for biologics, and strong quality assurance with no counterfeits detected in licensed supply chain under GIF supervision
• Clear legal framework with documented quantity limits (5 packages non-controlled, 90-day supply for controlled substances with travel authorization) and export provisions, though with restrictions on non-EU prescription recognition and November 2024 tightening requiring in-person consultations for controlled substances

Read the full Poland report →

• Israel's Pharmaceutical Division requires prior FDA/EMA/recognized authority approval for drug registration, preventing access to medications uniquely approved in Israel but unavailable in major origin countries (Process of drug registration in Israel - PMC - 2023)
• Compassionate use program delivered 3,284 treatments using 596 distinct products 2020-2024; 60% of most-frequently used investigational drugs subsequently incorporated into national health basket (Trends in compassionate use of medicinal products: Israel 2020-2024 - PMC - 2025)
• Sheba Medical Center's CAR-T program: 300+ patients treated with 10-12 day on-site manufacturing turnaround, explicitly offering international patient services with pharmaceutical home delivery (CAR T-Cell Therapy at Sheba Medical Center - Sheba Online - 2025)
• Foreign prescriptions carry zero legal standing at Israeli pharmacies; medical tourists must consult Israeli-licensed physicians before accessing any prescription medication (Drug Prescriptions & Refills in Israel - Tel Aviv Doctor - 2024)

Read the full Israel report →

• 71 of 105 EMA-designated orphan drugs available in Turkey (23 licensed, 48 unlicensed), with 17 licensed and 17 unlicensed products covered by reimbursement
• Turkey granted third-country approval worldwide after US and Germany for nusinersen (SMA), providing treatment to 593 patients under reimbursement coverage despite unit price of 90,000 euros
• Named specific cancer immunotherapies available: nivolumab, pembrolizumab, durvalumab, atezolizumab; orphan drugs including eculizumab, galsulfase, elosulfase, idursulfase, defibrotide, alglucosidase alfa
• World-leading ITS pharmaceutical tracking system is first and only full control pharmaceutical track and trace system in the world, successfully fighting counterfeit medicines and preventing reimbursement fraud
• 28 JCI-accredited hospitals across 14 cities through MedicalPark Hospitals Group serving 6+ million patients annually with dedicated International Patient Centers
• MBFA system served approximately 85,000 patients in 2017 with unlicensed or non-marketed medicines costing $520 million (7.5% of pharmaceutical expenditure)
• Foreign prescriptions not accepted in Turkish pharmacies; British prescriptions require liaison with Turkish hospitals to arrange equivalent Turkish prescriptions
• Compassionate use program has approved only ~20 pharmaceuticals to date; access often requires legal action on patient-by-patient basis rather than standardized procedures
• Approval timelines 50% longer than FDA or EMA; fixed exchange rate system (1 Euro=17.6 TL vs. actual 1 Euro=34.7 TL) caused medication prices to effectively triple and many drugs withdrawn

Read the full Turkey report →

• Thailand does not offer significant advantages for accessing novel medications unavailable in Western countries; Thai FDA follows US and European approval processes
• Four to seven specific examples of medication category differences: OTC access to prescription-only antibiotics (Penicillin, Ciprofloxacin, Bactrim), Premarin without prescription, domestically produced biologics HERDARA and IMCRANIB 100, biosimilars
• Established medical tourism infrastructure through Bumrungrad International Hospital with medication tourism program, clear import/export regulations (30-day personal use, 90-day for controlled substances with advance permits)
• Over 11,000 licensed pharmacies with English-speaking staff providing robust standard pharmacy infrastructure
• 8.5% substandard medicines market rate with counterfeit concerns; however, mandatory 2-year Safety Monitoring Program and GMP compliance through PIC/S provide basic quality assurance

Read the full Thailand report →

• Named-patient pathway administered by EDE provides access to unregistered FDA/EMA-labeled medications with 5-15 business day approval for routine cases at facilities including Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, American Hospital Dubai, and Sheikh Khalifa Medical City
• ADHD medications (methylphenidate, amphetamines, lisdexamfetamine) are classified as narcotics and effectively unavailable; travelers carrying them face detention and criminal proceedings
• Tramadol banned without special Ministry of Health authorization; codeine is Schedule 2 controlled substance requiring eDrug permits 21 days in advance; benzodiazepines require controlled-substance permits—all more restrictive than US/UK/Canada/Australia
• Specific medications available: Wegovy oral (approved June 2026), all major GLP-1 agents (Ozempic, Mounjaro, Rybelsus, Saxenda), olaparib (PARP inhibitor), checkpoint inhibitors (lung, bladder, liver, breast, sarcoma cancers), oral testosterone undecanoate
• Report explicitly concludes the UAE is 'not a meaningful destination' for medical tourists seeking unavailable medications and that the UAE is 'actually less accessible than most Western countries for several important medication categories'

Read the full United Arab Emirates report →

• Only 2 specifically named medications with documented non-availability in major origin countries: trimetazidine (Vastarel, EU-approved but FDA-declined) and piracetam (OTC in Hungary since 2020, never FDA-approved as drug)
• Over 14,000 types of pharmaceuticals reported unavailable in Hungarian pharmacies, including critical oncology agents (bleomycin, carboplatin, cisplatin, methotrexate)
• Hungary reimburses only 40% of novel cancer medicine indications with median 37-month reimbursement delay—longest in Central Europe
• No dedicated programs exist for international patients seeking unavailable medications; non-EU patients must consult local Hungarian physicians (€20–289) before accessing prescription medications
• Hungary's regulatory authority (NNGYK) recognized as WHO Listed Authority (May 2024); closed distribution chain with zero counterfeit drugs documented

Read the full Hungary report →

• Mexico lags the U.S. in approving newly developed drugs despite FDA approval, with approval timelines up to 240 days for new molecules
• CAR-T cell therapy explicitly not available in Mexico; Mexican patients travel to the U.S. to access this cutting-edge treatment
• Widespread counterfeit medication problem with 71% of tested pills in tourist-area pharmacies containing wrong/dangerous substances
• Foreign prescriptions not accepted; medical tourists must obtain new prescriptions from Mexican physicians
• Primary value proposition for medical tourists is cost savings on same FDA-approved medications, not access to unavailable drugs

Read the full Mexico report →

• Zero documented examples of medications available in South Korea but unavailable in major origin countries (US, Canada, UK, Australia, EU)
• South Korea displays 1-2 year drug lag with approval timelines actually increasing from 276 days (2011) to 353 days (2020) while other major regulatory authorities reduced their review times
• Narcotics-containing medications strictly prohibited from import even with valid prescriptions; foreign prescriptions cannot be filled at Korean pharmacies
• Only 3-month supply of non-controlled medications permitted for medical tourists; significant export restrictions prevent taking medications home to origin countries
• Medical tourism to South Korea (3.9 million cumulative as of 2023) driven by cosmetic surgery, cancer treatment quality, and cost—not medication availability advantages

Read the full South Korea report →

• 44.2% of US-approved drugs (2005-2022) remain unapproved in Japan; 78 of 243 US orphan drugs had not initiated Japanese development by 2022—inverted advantage for Western medical tourists
• Only 3-5 documented Sakigake first-in-world/unique advantages: bemdaneprocel (Parkinson's, Dec 2025), MCO-010 optogenetic gene therapy (Jan 2026), gilteritinib (AML), loxoprofen OTC—far below rubric thresholds
• Foreign prescriptions non-recognized; all visitors must establish new care with Japanese physicians; full out-of-pocket costs for uninsured medical tourists
• Amphetamine-class medications categorically banned under Stimulants Control Act; ADHD medication shortage limits alternatives
• Excellent pharmacy infrastructure (62,400 licensed pharmacies, 49 per 100,000 inhabitants) and strong quality assurance (GMP standards, all-case post-marketing surveillance, PIC/S member since 2014)

Read the full Japan report →

• India typically waits for approvals from stringent regulatory authorities before granting domestic approval, providing no approval speed advantage for unavailable medications
• Only 3 cancer immunotherapy drugs approved (Opdivo, Keytruda, TelCentris) compared to dozens in the US and EU
• Only 9 of 279 repurposed orphan drugs classified as easily accessible despite India manufacturing all 450 active pharmaceutical ingredients for orphan drugs
• Studies documented 12% of drug samples from Delhi and 5% from Chennai were substandard quality

Read the full India report →

• Only 3 named US-exclusive drugs identified: tirzepatide (diabetes), ubrogepant (migraines), ategepant (migraines)
• Most U.S. states do not allow pharmacies to fill foreign prescriptions directly; foreign visitors must establish care with U.S. physicians licensed to prescribe in-country
• FDA approves drugs median 227 days before EMA, but this advantage is temporary—most drugs reach European markets within months; 57% of new drugs launched 2018-2022 were available in both U.S. and other countries
• Report explicitly states U.S. is a source of OUTBOUND medication tourism (Americans purchasing drugs abroad) rather than an inbound destination for international medication access
• Expanded Access and Right to Try programs (99% approval rate for U.S. residents) are designed primarily for U.S. residents and do not specifically facilitate access for international medical tourists

Read the full United States report →