Should Wikipedia articles present the prices of products?

The policy regarding prices is outlined in WP:NOTCATALOG:

An article should not include product pricing or availability information unless there is an independent source and a justified reason for the mention. Encyclopedic significance may be indicated if mainstream media sources (not just product reviews) provide commentary on these details....


Wikipedia can include what third-party secondary sources report, in accordance with due weight. Most prices come from either self-published sources or from directories or databases, and by Wikipedia policy, that is a reason to not include prices.

Some primary information from databases has always been included in Wikipedia, including the population of cities and various properties of chemicals. The rationale in these cases is that some amount of primary information is necessary for understanding the nature of a thing. If prices of products were included in Wikipedia routinely, then probably someone would have to make a persuasive argument that the price gave fundamental information about the nature of a thing. When including prices, they would need to be matched to reliable sources, which is fairly easy in most cases as prices are given in many textbooks such as the British National Formulary, by government agencies, and by international governmental organization such as the World Health Organization. Cost benefit analysis is a central part of many government run health care systems. They would also need to respect policies on original research and due weight and the guideline for leads of articles.

The central place for discussing policy on prices is Wikipedia:What Wikipedia is not#Wikipedia is not a directory, and redirects including WP:PRICE and WP:PRICES used to point there. The precedent of discussions there should guide whatever is discussed presently, price-related discussions should be announced at Wikipedia talk:What Wikipedia is not.


The World Health Organization states "Data on drug costs will always be important in managing policy related to drug supply, pricing and use."[1] They list a few price metrics including cost per treatment day, month or year and cost per defined daily dose (DDD).[1]

Pharmaceutical companies have tried to decrease price transparency.[2] Some editors have argued that WP:NOTCENSORED applies, while others argue that databases with varying levels of accuracy cannot be used to insert drug pricing information while respecting policy on original research and due weight.

Discussions about best practicesEdit

Drug prices

In medical articles there has been discussion about whether a drug can be understood without knowing its price. There are arguments for both sides.

Consumer electronics
Wikipedia:What Wikipedia is not

See alsoEdit

  • ^ a b "Introduction to Drug Utilization Research: Chapter 2: Types of drug use information: 2.6 Drug costs". Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  • ^ "Federal Judge Strikes Down New Drug Price Transparency Rule". HealthPayerIntelligence. 10 July 2019. Retrieved 27 November 2019.