Availability and Affordability of Essential Medicines: Implications for Global Diabetes Treatment

A comprehensive survey of cancer medicines prices, availability and affordability in Ghana

INTRODUCTION

In Ghana, prices for cancer medicines are characterized by high retail markups, forex fluctuations and high variation in prices of medicines. Most patients cannot afford the cancer medicines. There is a problem of unaffordability and limited availability of essential cancer medicines which suggests potential inequity in patient access to cancer medicines. The study objective was to assess the prices, availability, and affordability of cancer medicines in Ghana. Prices of cancer medicines are a major contributor to the cost of treatment for cancer patients and the comparison of these cost was assessed to determine the affordability.

METHOD

The methods developed and standardized by the World Health Organization (WHO) in collaboration with the Health Action International (HAI), was adapted and used to measure prices, availability, and affordability of cancer medicines in Ghana. The availability of cancer medicines was assessed as percentage of health facilities stocked with listed medicines. The price of cancer medicines (of different brands as well as the same medicine manufactured by different pharmaceutical industries) available in the public hospitals, private hospitals, and private pharmacies was assessed, and the percentage variation in prices was calculated. Medicine prices were compared with the Management Sciences Health's International Reference Prices to obtain a Median Price Ratio (MPR). The affordability of cancer medicines was determined using the treatment cost of a course of therapy for cancer conditions in comparison with the daily wage of the unskilled Lowest-Paid Government Worker.

RESULTS

Overall availability of cancer medicines was very low. The availability of Lowest Priced Generic (LPG) in public hospitals, private hospitals, and private pharmacies was 46%, 22%, and 74% respectively. The availability of Originator Brand (OB) in public hospitals, private hospitals, and private pharmacies was 14%, 11%, and 23% respectively. The lowest median price [United States Dollars (USD)] for the LPG was 0.25, and the highest median price was 227.98. For the OB, the lowest median price was 0.41 and the highest median price was 1321.60. The lowest and highest adjusted MPRs of OBs and LPGs was 0.01 and 10.15 respectively. Some prices were 20.60 times more expensive. Affordability calculations showed that patients with colorectal and multiple myeloma cancer would need 2554 days wages (5286.40 USD) and 1642 days wages (3399.82 USD) respectively to afford treatment.

CONCLUSION

The availability of cancer medicines was very low, and less than the WHO target of 80%. There were considerable variations in the prices of different brands of cancer medicines, and affordability remains suboptimal, as most patients cannot afford the cancer medicines. Comprehensive policies, regulations and multifaceted interventions that provides tax incentives, health insurance, and use of generics to improve cancer medicines availability, prices, and affordability, for the masses should be developed and implemented in Ghana.

Association between the Diabetes Drug Cost and Cardiovascular Events and Death in Korea: A National Health Insurance Service Database Analysis

BACKGRUOUND

This study aimed to investigate the long-term effects of diabetes drug costs on cardiovascular (CV) events and death.

METHODS

This retrospective observational study used data from 2009 to 2018 from the National Health Insurance in Korea. Among the patients with type 2 diabetes, those taking antidiabetic drugs and who did not have CV events until 2009 were included. Patients were divided into quartiles (Q1 [lowest]-4 [highest]) according to the 2009 diabetes drug cost. In addition, the 10-year incidences of CV events (non-fatal myocardial infarction, stroke, hospitalization for heart failure, and coronary revascularization) and CV death (death due to CV events) were analyzed.

RESULTS

A total of 441,914 participants were enrolled (median age, 60 years; men, 57%). CV events and death occurred in 28.1% and 8.36% of the patients, respectively. The 10-year incidences of CV events and deaths increased from Q1 to 4. After adjusting for sex, age, income, type of diabetes drugs, comorbidities, and smoking and drinking status, the risk of CV events significantly increased according to the sequential order of the cost quartiles. In contrast, the risk of CV death showed a U-shaped pattern, which was the lowest in Q3 (hazard ratio [HR], 0.953; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.913 to 0.995) and the highest in Q4 (HR, 1.266; 95% CI, 1.213 to 1.321).

CONCLUSION

Diabetes drug expenditure affects 10-year CV events and mortality. Therefore, affording an appropriate diabetes drug cost at a similar risk of CV is an independent protective factor against CV death.

Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic equivalence of Biocon's biosimilar Insulin 70/30 with US-licensed HUMULIN® 70/30 formulation in healthy subjects: Results from the RHINE-3 (Recombinant Human INsulin Equivalence-3) study

AIM

To establish the pharmacokinetic (PK) and pharmacodynamic (PD) equivalence of proposed biosimilar insulin 70/30 (Biocon's Insulin-70/30) and HUMULIN® 70/30 (HUMULIN-70/30; Eli Lilly and Company, IN).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In this phase 1, automated euglycaemic glucose clamp study, 78 healthy subjects were randomized (1:1) to receive a single dose of 0.4 IU/kg of Biocon's Insulin-70/30 and HUMULIN-70/30. Plasma insulin concentrations and glucose infusion rates (GIRs) were assessed over 24 hours. Primary PK endpoints were area under the insulin concentration-time curve from 0 to 24 hours - AUC_ins.0-24h - and maximum insulin concentration - C_ins.max . Primary PD endpoints were area under the GIR time curve from 0 to 24 hours - AUC_GIR.0-24h - and maximum GIR - GIR_max .

RESULTS

Equivalence was shown between Biocon's Insulin-70/30 and HUMULIN-70/30 for the primary PK/PD endpoints. The 90% confidence intervals of the treatment ratios were entirely within the acceptance range of 80.00%-125.00%. The secondary PK/PD profiles were also comparable. There were no clinically relevant differences in the safety profiles of the two treatments and no serious adverse events were reported.

CONCLUSION

PK/PD equivalence was demonstrated between Biocon's Insulin-70/30 and HUMULIN-70/30 in healthy subjects. Treatment with Biocon's Insulin-70/30 and HUMULIN-70/30 was well tolerated.

Enhancing Choices Regarding the Administration of Insulin Among Patients With Diabetes Requiring Insulin Across Countries and Implications for Future Care

There are a number of ongoing developments to improve the care of patients with diabetes across countries given its growing burden. Recent developments include new oral medicines to reduce cardiovascular events and death. They also include new modes to improve insulin administration to enhance adherence and subsequent patient management thereby reducing hypoglycaemia and improving long-term outcomes. In the case of insulins, this includes long-acting insulin analogues as well as continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) systems and continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion systems, combined with sensor-augmented pump therapy and potentially hybrid closed-loops. The benefits of such systems have been endorsed by endocrine societies and governments in patients with Type 1 diabetes whose HbA1c levels are not currently being optimised. However, there are concerns with the low use of such systems across higher-income countries, exacerbated by their higher costs, despite studies suggesting their cost-effectiveness ratios are within accepted limits. This is inconsistent in higher-income countries when compared with reimbursement and funding decisions for new high-priced medicines for cancer and orphan diseases, with often limited benefits, given the burden of multiple daily insulin injections coupled with the need for constant monitoring. This situation is different among patients and governments in low- and low-middle income countries struggling to fund standard insulins and the routine monitoring of HbA1c levels. The first priority in these countries is to address these priority issues before funding more expensive forms of insulin and associated devices. Greater patient involvement in treatment decisions, transparency in decision making, and evidence-based investment decisions should help to address such concerns in the future.

A century past the discovery of insulin: global progress and challenges for type 1 diabetes among children and adolescents in low-income and middle-income countries

Type 1 diabetes is on the rise globally; however, the burden of mortality remains disproportionate in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). As 2021 marks 100 years since the discovery of insulin, we revisit progress, global burden of type 1 diabetes trends, and understanding of the pathogenesis and management practices related to the disease. Despite much progress, inequities in access and availability of insulin formulations persist and are reflected in differences in survival and morbidity patterns related to the disease. Some of these inequities have also been exacerbated by health-system challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. There is a clear opportunity to improve access to insulin and related essential technologies for improved management of type 1 diabetes in LMICs, especially as a part of universal health coverage. These improvements will require concerted action and investments in human resources, community engagement, and education for the timely diagnosis and management of type 1 diabetes, as well as adequate health-care financing. Further research in LMICs, especially those in Africa, is needed to improve our understanding of the burden, risk factors, and implementation strategies for managing type 1 diabetes.

What Factors Hindered the Access to Essential Anticancer Medicine in Public Hospitals for the Local Population in Hubei Province, China

Background:Cancer poses a serious threat to one’s health, which caused significant economic burden on the family and society. Poor availability and affordability resulted in some essential medicines failing to meet the basic health needs of this group of patients. The objective of this study was to evaluate the availability, prices and affordability of 32 anticancer essential medicines in Hubei Province, China.

Methods: Data on the availability and price related information of 32 essential anticancer medicines in the capital and five other cities of Hubei Province were collected. A total of 28 hospitals were sampled, which included 13 tertiary hospitals and 15 secondary hospitals. We used the standard methods developed by the World Health Organization and Health Action International to compare the differences in drug price, availability and affordability between secondary hospitals and tertiary hospitals.

Results: Overall, the availability of medicine was higher in tertiary hospitals. The average availability of originator brand (OBs) was 13.70% (tertiary hospitals) VS 6.67% (secondary hospitals), and lowest-priced generic (LPGs) was 62.83% (tertiary hospitals) VS 42.92% (secondary hospitals). The MPR value of most sampled medicines in secondary hospitals were less than 1. In contrast, the MPR of Cytarabine (17.15), Oxaliplatin (12.73) were significantly higher than the international reference price. The top three OBs’ total expenses for 30-days treatment were Irinotecan, Oxaliplatin, Bicalutamide. Further, their affordability was relative low, as the costs for one course using these medicines were much higher than 20% of the minimum family monthly income.

Conclusion: Though the “Zero Mark-Up” and “Centralized procurement policy of anti-tumor drugs” policies have been implemented in China, the availability issue yet to be addressed. High price and low affordability were the major barriers to the access of essential anticancer medicines. Measures should be taken to provide sufficient, available and affordable medicines to patients in need.

Utilisation Trend of Long-Acting Insulin Analogues including Biosimilars across Europe: Findings and Implications

BACKGROUND

Diabetes mellitus rates and associated costs continue to rise across Europe enhancing health authority focus on its management. The risk of complications is enhanced by poor glycaemic control, with long-acting insulin analogues developed to reduce hypoglycaemia and improve patient convenience. There are concerns though with their considerably higher costs, but moderated by reductions in complications and associated costs. Biosimilars can help further reduce costs. However, to date, price reductions for biosimilar insulin glargine appear limited. In addition, the originator company has switched promotional efforts to more concentrated patented formulations to reduce the impact of biosimilars. There are also concerns with different devices between the manufacturers. As a result, there is a need to assess current utilisation rates for insulins, especially long-acting insulin analogues and biosimilars, and the rationale for patterns seen, among multiple European countries to provide future direction. Methodology. Health authority databases are examined to assess utilisation and expenditure patterns for insulins, including biosimilar insulin glargine. Explanations for patterns seen were provided by senior-level personnel.

RESULTS

Typically increasing use of long-acting insulin analogues across Europe including both Western and Central and Eastern European countries reflects perceived patient benefits despite higher prices. However, activities by the originator company to switch patients to more concentrated insulin glargine coupled with lowering prices towards biosimilars have limited biosimilar uptake, with biosimilars not currently launched in a minority of European countries. A number of activities were identified to address this. Enhancing the attractiveness of the biosimilar insulin market is essential to encourage other biosimilar manufacturers to enter the market as more long-acting insulin analogues lose their patents to benefit all key stakeholder groups.

CONCLUSIONS

There are concerns with the availability and use of insulin glargine biosimilars among European countries despite lower costs. This can be addressed.

Uptake of new antidiabetic medicines in 11 European countries

BACKGROUND

Several new antidiabetic medicines (GLP-1 receptor agonists, DPP-4 inhibitors, and SGLT-2 inhibitors) have been approved by the European Medicines Agency since 2006. The aim of this study was to evaluate the uptake of new antidiabetic medicines in European countries over a 10-year period.

METHODS

The study used IQVIA quarterly value and volume sales data January 2006-December 2016. The market uptake of new antidiabetic medicines together with intensity of prescribing policy for all antidiabetic medicines were estimated for Austria, Croatia, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. The following measures were determined: number of available new active substances, median time to first continuous use, volume market share, and annual therapy cost.

RESULTS

All countries had at least one new antidiabetic medicine in continuous use and an increase in intensity of prescribing policy for all antidiabetic medicines was observed. A tenfold difference in median time to first continuous use (3-30 months) was found. The annual therapy cost in 2016 of new antidiabetic medicines ranged from EUR 363 to EUR 769. Among new antidiabetic medicines, the market share of DPP-4 inhibitors was the highest. Countries with a higher volume market share of incretin-based medicines (Spain, France, Austria, and Germany) in 2011 had a lower increase in intensity of prescribing policy. This kind of correlation was not found in the case of SGLT-2 inhibitors.

CONCLUSIONS

This study found important differences and variability in the uptake of new antidiabetic medicines in the included countries.

Essential diabetes medicines and health outcomes in 127 countries

AIM

Diabetes is the ninth leading cause of death. Improving access to diabetes medicines may decrease mortality. Diabetes medicines on national essential medicines lists (NEMLs) vary considerably. We examine the association between diabetes population health outcomes relating to mortality and the listing of diabetes medicines on national essential medicine lists for 127 countries.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We conducted a cross-sectional study. We determined the number of diabetes medicines on NEMLs and used multiple linear regression to analyse the association between diabetes health outcomes and the number of medicines on NEMLs. We used linear regression to assess the association between diabetes health outcomes and the listing of or not listing of medicines that were listed by 25-75% of countries. Diabetes prevalence, gross domestic product (GDP) per capita and mean expenditure per person with diabetes were controlled for in all analyses.

RESULTS

The total number of diabetes medicines listed on NEMLs ranged from 0 to 16 (median: 4; interquartile range: 3-6). Diabetes health outcome scores were associated with the number of diabetes medicines on NEMLs [1.3-point increase (95% confidence interval, 95% CI 0.5-2.1) for every additional medicine on NEMLs; P = .002] and GDP per capita [19.5-point increase (95% CI 5.4-33.6) for every 10-fold increase in GDP; P = .003]. Diabetes expenditure was not associated with health outcome scores (P = .23). Increases in diabetes health outcomes score were associated with the listing of glimepiride (7.9-point increase, 95% CI 2.3-13.5, P = .006) and glipizide (5.8-point increase, 95% CI 0.03-11.6, P = .049) on NEMLs.

CONCLUSIONS

Listing of diabetes medicines on NEMLs has the potential to improve population health outcomes related to mortality in countries with diverse incomes and diabetes prevalence without necessarily increasing diabetes health expenditure.

A cross-sectional study of the quality of life of patients living with type 1 diabetes treated with insulin glargine and neutral protamine Hagedorn insulin and the implications

Objectives

The study aim was to identify key factors associated with the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) treated with neutral protamine Hagedorn (NPH) insulin or human insulin analog glargine (IGLA).

Methods

We conducted two cross-sectional studies in Minas Gerais State, Brazil. One with 401 patients treated with IGLA, and the other with 179 T1DM patients treated with NPH. HRQOL was measured by Euroqol (EQ-5D-3L).

Key findings

Most participants were male (51%), aged between 18 and 40 years (47%), non-black (58%) and from the highest economic strata (A1-B2) (74%). Participants perceived their health as good/very good (51%), had one to three medical consultations in the previous year (51%), were not hospitalized in the previous year (74%), did not report angina (96%), diabetic neuropathy (90%), hearing loss (94%) or kidney disease (89%). Non-severe hypoglycaemia episodes in the last 30 days were reported by 17% of participants.

Conclusions

Higher HRQOL was associated with younger age (18–40 years), good/very good health self-perception, having had up to three medical consultations in the last year, not being hospitalized in the last year, having none to three comorbidities, not reporting angina, diabetic neuropathy, hearing loss or kidney disease and having had episodes of non-severe hypoglycaemia. In addition, the findings of our study demonstrated inequalities in access to treatment, which will be the subject of future research projects.

Pharmacoeconomic Analysis of Sitagliptin/Metformin for the Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Cost-Effectiveness Study

OBJECTIVES

To assess the cost-effectiveness and cost utility of sitagliptin/metformin for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus compared to those of glibenclamide/metformin in a semiprivate hospital and to compare the cost-effectiveness and cost utility of sitagliptin/metformin in a semiprivate hospital to those in the public health system (PHS) of Ecuador in 2019.

METHODS

A cost-effectiveness study considering the probability of cardiovascular death as the outcome and quality-adjusted life-year as a measure of utility, estimating direct medical costs in US dollars by a model case from the perspective of the third payer. The results will be presented as an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio. One-way and 2-way sensitivity analyses with tornado diagrams were performed.

RESULTS

Direct medical costs were lower at the hospital than from the PHS in Ecuador. Considering the drugs metformin/sitagliptin, the total cost was $35.69 less in the hospital ($880.38) than from the comparator ($916.07). The highest percentage of direct medical costs corresponded to drugs (between 63.94% and 84.65%). An ICER of -$19 131.61 was obtained at the Hospital Un Canto a la Vida and -$1621.85 at PHS. In addition, the cost per quality-adjusted life-year earned was $611.11. Sensitivity analysis showed that the probability of drug use and the relative risk of cardiovascular death associated with such prescription were parameters that most affected the model.

CONCLUSIONS

The combination therapy metformin/sitagliptin compared to metformin/glibenclamide was shown not to be cost-effective in the Hospital Un Canto a la Vida, and highly cost-effective in the PHS.

Influence of pharmaceutical services organization on the availability of essential medicines in a public health system

Objective: To evaluate the influence of organizational structure and technical-management activities on the availability of essential medicines in the primary healthcare. Materials & methods: Cross-sectional, exploratory and evaluative study. The availability was evaluated according to parameters established by the WHO. Results: The average availability of standardized essential medicines was 83.3 and 73.3% for medicines purchased centrally by the Brazilian government. Among the therapeutic groups evaluated, the lowest average availability were for the tuberculostatics (24.1%) and psychotropic/special control medicines (30.3%). Conclusion: The availability of essential medicines was positively influenced by the presence of the pharmacist and by the computerized system deployed, and negatively associated with essential medicines purchased centrally by the federal government, especially in the smaller municipalities.

A new look at brittle diabetes

"Brittle diabetes" was first used to describe a life "disrupted by episodes of hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia." Early descriptions focused on small case reports of mostly young women with psycho-social instability, recurrent diabetic ketoacidosis, poor patient compliance or maladaptation. We redefine "brittle diabetes" as occurring in four specific life stages each with distinct characteristics and associated conditions resulting in severely erratic glycemic control and poor outcomes. Once identified however these factors can often be reversed or significantly mitigated. The first group includes younger patients with associated psychiatric diseases such as bulimia and depression which require specific therapy and are treatable. A second group includes individuals who have another underlying medical condition resulting in disruption of insulin sensitivity or glucose utilization which must be sought. A third group, the largest we believe, has "geriatric type 1 diabetes" and develops severe glycemic instability due to frailty, chronic renal failure, dementia, vision loss, loss of counterregulation and other diseases of aging which lead to unintentional omission of insulin, insulin dosing errors and increasing insulin sensitivity. The fourth group, now seen around the world, suffers lack of insulin access and associated food insecurity. All four of these groups are described.

Availability, Costs and Stock-Outs of Essential NCD Drugs in Three Rural Rwandan Districts

Background:

To reduce the non-communicable diseases (NCDs) burden, the World Health Organization has set a target to reach 80% availability of the affordable essential medicines required to treat NCDs by 2025.

Objectives:

This study described the availability, costs, and stock-outs of essential NCD drugs in three rural Rwandan districts.

Methods:

We retrospectively assessed 54 NCD drugs listed for district hospitals or health centers in the Rwanda national essential medicines list. Data were collected from three district hospitals and 17 health centers that host NCD clinics. We extracted data on drug availability, quantity dispensed, costs, stock-outs, and the replenishing supplier for these drugs between January 1 and December 31, 2017.

Results:

Overall, 71% of essential medicines for health centers and 78% of essential medicines for district hospitals were available at facilities. Only 15% of health centers experienced a stock-out of beclomethasone, while 77% experienced at least one stock-out of amlodipine and metformin. The median length of stock-out ranged from nine to 72 days, and 78% of the stock-outs across all health centers were replenished by a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) partner. Except for enoxaparin and metformin, all district hospitals experienced at least one stock-out of each drug. The median length of stock-out ranged from 3.5 to 228 days, and 82% of the stock-outs across all district hospitals were replenished by the Rwandan Ministry of Health (RMOH). The least expensive drug was digoxin ($0.02, Interquartile range (IQR): 0.01, 0.10), while the most expensive was beclomethasone ($9.35, IQR: 3.00, 13.20).

Conclusions:

This study shows the viability of drug-supported NCD care in rural settings of sub-Saharan Africa. Stock-outs are a challenge; our study emphasizes the importance of the MOH/NGO partnerships in this context. Medicine costs are also challenging, though, in these districts, drugs are more affordable through community-based health insurance, government, and NGO partner subsidies.

The impact of diabetes on periodontal diseases

The susceptibility and severity of periodontal diseases is made more severe by diabetes, with the impact on the disease process inversely proportional to the level of glycemic control. Although type 1 diabetes mellitus and type 2 diabetes mellitus have different etiologies, and their impact on bone is not identical, they share many of the same complications. Studies in animals and humans agree that both forms of diabetes increase inflammatory events in periodontal tissue, impair new bone formation, and increase expression of RANKL in response to bacterial challenge. High levels of glucose, reactive oxygen species, and advanced glycation end-products are found in the periodontium of diabetic individuals and lead to increased activation of nuclear factor-kappa B and expression of inflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor and interleukin-1. Studies in animals, moreover, suggest that there are multiple cell types in periodontal tissues that are affected by diabetes, including leukocytes, vascular cells, mesenchymal stem cells, periodontal ligament fibroblasts, osteoblasts, and osteocytes. The etiology of periodontal disease involves the host response to bacterial challenge that is affected by diabetes, which increases the expression of RANKL and reduces coupled bone formation. In addition, the inflammatory response also modifies the oral microbiota to render it more pathogenic, as demonstrated by increased inflammation and bone loss in animals where bacteria are transferred from diabetic donors to germ-free hosts compared with transfer from normoglycemic donors. This approach has the advantage of not relying upon limited knowledge of the specific bacterial taxa to determine pathogenicity, and examines the overall impact of the microbiota rather than the presumed pathogenicity of a few bacterial groups. Thus, animal studies have provided new insights into pathogenic mechanisms that identify cause-and-effect relationships that are difficult to perform in human studies.

Ongoing and planned activities to improve the management of patients with Type 1 diabetes across Africa; implications for the future

BACKGROUND

Currently about 19 million people in Africa are known to be living with diabetes, mainly Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) (95%), estimated to grow to 47 million people by 2045. However, there are concerns with early diagnosis of patients with Type 1 diabetes (T1DM) as often patients present late with complications. There are also challenges with access and affordability of insulin, monitoring equipment and test strips with typically high patient co-payments, which can be catastrophic for families. These challenges negatively impact on the quality of care of patients with T1DM increasing morbidity and mortality. There are also issues of patient education and psychosocial support adversely affecting patients' quality of life. These challenges need to be debated and potential future activities discussed to improve the future care of patients with T1DM across Africa.

METHODOLOGY

Documentation of the current situation across Africa for patients with T1DM including the epidemiology, economics, and available treatments within public healthcare systems as well as ongoing activities to improve their future care. Subsequently, provide guidance to all key stakeholder groups going forward utilizing input from senior-level government, academic and other professionals from across Africa.

RESULTS

Whilst prevalence rates for T1DM are considerably lower than T2DM, there are concerns with late diagnosis as well as the routine provision of insulin and monitoring equipment across Africa. High patient co-payments exacerbate the situation. However, there are ongoing developments to address the multiple challenges including the instigation of universal health care and partnerships with non-governmental organizations, patient organizations, and pharmaceutical companies. Their impact though remains to be seen. In the meantime, a range of activities has been documented for all key stakeholder groups to improve future care.

CONCLUSION

There are concerns with the management of patients with T1DM across Africa. A number of activities has been suggested to address this and will be monitored.

The Availability, Pricing, and Affordability of Essential Diabetes Medicines in 17 Low-, Middle-, and High-Income Countries

Background: One third of the world population does not have access to essential medicines. Diabetes require a long-term therapy, which incurs significant health care cost and thus impact access and affordability. This study aims to assess the availability, prices, and affordability of four essential medicines used to treat diabetes in private primary care pharmacies in 17 countries.

Methods: Data on affordability, availability, and prices of four essential diabetes medicines from 51 primary care pharmacies across 17 countries were obtained using a variation of the World Health Organization/Health Action International (WHO/HAI) methodology. The surveyed countries were Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, China, Jordan, Russia, Armenia, Bangladesh, Egypt, Georgia, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Nepal, and Tanzania. International reference prices and daily income of the lowest-paid unskilled government workers were used as comparators. The prices were converted into US$ using both foreign exchange rates and purchasing power parity. We compared patterns of affordability and availability and prices of innovator brand (IB) and lowest priced generic (LPG) of diabetes medicines by WHO regional groupings and by country level.

Results: Lowest priced generic of metformin 500 mg had the highest total mean availability (≥80%) among all the surveyed medicines. The total mean availability of insulin 100 IU/ml was only 36.21% (IBs and LPGs), where IB was more frequently available than LPG (50% vs. 26%) across 17 surveyed countries. Patients would have to spend more to procure 1-month’s supply of IB of insulin in low-income than patients in high-income countries (no. of day’s wages: 2.37 vs. 0.46, p = 0.038). For the majority of the surveyed countries the median price-ratio was less than 3. The highest PPP-adjusted prices for 30-day treatment with IB of insulin 100 IU/ml and metformin 500 mg were highest in Bangladesh ($80.21) and Tanzania ($4334.17), respectively.

Conclusion: Availability of generic form of insulin is poor; IB of insulin was more affordable in high-income countries than low-income countries. Most of the LPGs was reasonably priced and affordable to the lowest-paid unskilled worker.

Challenges associated with providing diabetes care in humanitarian settings

The humanitarian health landscape is gradually changing, partly as a result of the shift in global epidemiological trends and the rise of non-communicable diseases, including diabetes. Humanitarian actors are progressively incorporating care for diabetes into emergency medical response, but challenges abound. This Series paper discusses contemporary practical challenges associated with diabetes care in humanitarian contexts in low-income and middle-income countries, using the six building blocks of health systems described by WHO (information and research, service delivery, health workforce, medical products and technologies, governance, and financing) as a framework. Challenges include the scarcity of evidence on the management of diabetes and clinical guidelines adapted to humanitarian contexts; unavailability of core indicators for surveillance and monitoring systems; and restricted access to the medicines and diagnostics necessary for adequate clinical care. Policy and system frameworks do not routinely include diabetes and little funding is allocated for diabetes care in humanitarian crises. Humanitarian organisations are increasingly gaining experience delivering diabetes care, and interagency collaboration to coordinate, improve data collection, and analyse available programmes is in progress. However, the needs around all six WHO health system building blocks are immense, and much work needs to be done to improve diabetes care for crisis-affected populations.

Economic Impact of Diabetes in South Asia: the Magnitude of the Problem

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

To critically assess and identify gaps in the current literature on the economic impact of diabetes in South Asia.

RECENT FINDINGS

The total annual (direct medical and non-medical and indirect) costs for diabetes care in South Asia range from $483-$2637 per patient, and on an average 5.8% of patients with diabetes suffer catastrophic spending i.e. when households reduce basic expenditure by 40% to cope with healthcare costs. The mean direct costs per patient are positively associated with a country's gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, although there is wide heterogeneity across South Asian countries. With an estimated 84 million people suffering from diabetes in South Asia, diabetes imposes a substantial economic burden on individuals, families, and society. Since the disease burden increasingly occurs in the most productive midlife period, it adversely affects workforce productivity and macroeconomic development. Diabetes-related complications lead to markedly higher treatment costs, causing catastrophic medical spending for many households, thus underscoring the importance of preventing diabetes-related complications.

Access to insulin: applying the concept of security of supply to medicines

Security of supply of medicines is fundamental to ensure health for all. Furthermore, improving access to medicines is included in sustainable development goal 3. However, the concept of security of supply has mostly been applied to food, water and energy. Diversity of supply, vulnerability to disruption, expenditure, infrastructure, stability of exporting countries, ownership of production, price stability, access and equity, affordability, intellectual property, safety and reliability of supply, and countries' capacity to adapt to market changes are all elements of security of supply. Based on these elements, we assessed security of supply for insulin, since access to insulin is a global problem. We found that three multinational companies, in Denmark, France and Germany, control 99% of the value of the global insulin market. Prices and affordability of insulin and access to it vary considerably between countries. Some countries are vulnerable to insulin shortage because they import insulin from only one source. Many countries spend large amounts of money on insulin and costs are increasing. Some countries lack an adequate infrastructure for procurement, supply chain management and distribution of insulin. Applying the security of supply concept to insulin showed that diversification of suppliers needs to be fostered. Global health actors should adopt a security of supply approach to identify medicines that are susceptible to supply issues and address this concern by strategic promotion of local production, strengthening regulatory harmonization, and adding local products to the World Health Organization's programme on prequalification of medicines.

Noncommunicable diseases, access to essential medicines and universal health coverage

Universal Health Coverage is key to reach the overall health-related Sustainable Development Goal, and within this, access to safe, effective, quality, and affordable essential medicines is critical. Currently, medicines for noncommunicable diseases in many countries are not available when needed and if they are present, are unaffordable. Countries face the challenges of rising prevalence of noncommunicable diseases due to increasing risk factors and ageing populations, along with under-diagnosis and under-treatment. Providing noncommunicable disease medicines is only one piece of a complex picture of providing care within Universal Health Coverage that requires strengthening health-care systems, as well as financial resources, priority setting, and monitoring and evaluation systems. Financing for Universal Health Coverage needs to enable adequate resources to be allocated for medicines with a focus on equity as well as priority setting for noncommunicable diseases medicines for reimbursement in benefits packages, efficient procurement and distribution of these medicines, supported by price regulation. These processes need to be evidence-based, transparent and grounded on national values and priorities. Monitoring and evaluation of availability and affordability are key components of sustainable reimbursement systems. With the current Universal Health Coverage agenda, the World Health Organization and countries can no longer ignore the issue of access to medicines for noncommunicable disease and need to develop the appropriate responses in order to guarantee equitable access.