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Regnier M, Flammier S, Boutaba M, Ndongo AA, Servais A, Schaefer F, Levtchenko E, Bacchetta J, Bertholet-Thomas A. Worldwide disparities in access to treatment and investigations for nephropathic cystinosis: a 2023 perspective. Pediatr Nephrol 2024; 39:1113-1123. [PMID: 37978055 PMCID: PMC10899370 DOI: 10.1007/s00467-023-06179-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2023] [Revised: 09/18/2023] [Accepted: 09/18/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Nephropathic cystinosis (NC) is a rare lysosomal disease, leading to early kidney failure and extra-renal comorbidities. Its prognosis strongly relies on early diagnosis and treatment by cysteamine. Developing economies (DEing) face many challenges when treating patients for rare and chronic diseases. The aim here is to evaluate the access to investigations and treatment in DEing, and to assess for potential inequalities with Developed Economies (DEed). METHODS In this international cross-sectional study, a questionnaire on access, price and reimbursement of genetic, biological analyses, and treatment was sent to nephrology centers worldwide during 2022. RESULTS A total of 109 centers responded, coming from 49 countries and managing 741 patients: 43 centers from 30 DEing and Economies in transition (TrE), and 66 from 19 DEed. In 2022, genetics availability was 63% in DEing and 100% in DEed, whereas intra leukocytes cystine levels (IL-CL) were available for 30% of DEing patients, and 94% of DEed patients, both increasing over the last decade, as has access to immediate release cysteamine and to cysteamine eye drops in DEing. However, delayed released cysteamine can be delivered to only 7% vs. 74% of patients from DEing and DEed, respectively, and is still poorly reimbursed in DEing. CONCLUSIONS Over the last decade, access to investigations (namely genetics and IL-CL) and to cysteamine have improved in DEing and TrE. However, discrepancies remain with DEed: access to delayed released cysteamine is limited, and reimbursement is still profoundly insufficient, therefore limiting their current use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maitena Regnier
- Centre de Référence Des Maladies Rénales Rares Néphrogones, Hôpital Femme-Mère-Enfant, Hospices Civils de Lyon & Université Claude-Bernard, Lyon 1, Lyon, France
- Service de Néphrologie, Rhumatologie Et Dermatologie Pédiatriques, Hôpital Femme Mère Enfant, Hospices Civils de Lyon, Boulevard Pinel, 69677, Bron Cedex, France
- Faculté de Médecine Lyon Est, Université Claude Bernard, Lyon 1, Lyon, France
| | - Sacha Flammier
- Centre de Référence Des Maladies Rénales Rares Néphrogones, Hôpital Femme-Mère-Enfant, Hospices Civils de Lyon & Université Claude-Bernard, Lyon 1, Lyon, France
- Service de Néphrologie, Rhumatologie Et Dermatologie Pédiatriques, Hôpital Femme Mère Enfant, Hospices Civils de Lyon, Boulevard Pinel, 69677, Bron Cedex, France
| | - Mounia Boutaba
- Department of Pediatrics A, Hussein Dey University Hospital Center, University of Algiers 1, Algiers, Algeria
| | - Aliou Abdoulaye Ndongo
- Pediatric Unit, Aristide Le Dantec Hospital Cheikh Anta Diop University of Dakar, Dakar, Senegal
| | - Aude Servais
- Service de Néphrologie Et Maladies Métaboliques Adulte Hôpital Necker 149, Paris, France
| | - Franz Schaefer
- Division of Pediatric Nephrology, University Children's Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
- International Pediatric Nephrology Association (IPNA), C/o Nationwide Children's Center for Faculty Development (ED-5081), 700 Children's Drive, Columbus, OH 43205, USA
- European Rare Kidney Disease Reference Network (ERK-Net) Project Office, Im Neuenheimer Feld 130.3, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Elena Levtchenko
- Division of Pediatric Nephrology, Department of Pediatrics, University Hospitals Leuven, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Justine Bacchetta
- Centre de Référence Des Maladies Rénales Rares Néphrogones, Hôpital Femme-Mère-Enfant, Hospices Civils de Lyon & Université Claude-Bernard, Lyon 1, Lyon, France
- Service de Néphrologie, Rhumatologie Et Dermatologie Pédiatriques, Hôpital Femme Mère Enfant, Hospices Civils de Lyon, Boulevard Pinel, 69677, Bron Cedex, France
- Faculté de Médecine Lyon Est, Université Claude Bernard, Lyon 1, Lyon, France
- European Rare Kidney Disease Reference Network (ERK-Net) Project Office, Im Neuenheimer Feld 130.3, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany
- ORKID : Filière Orphan Kidney Diseases, Montpellier, France
- Diagnostic Et Traitements Des Maladies Osseuses, INSERM 1033 Physiopathologie, Paris, France
| | - Aurélia Bertholet-Thomas
- Centre de Référence Des Maladies Rénales Rares Néphrogones, Hôpital Femme-Mère-Enfant, Hospices Civils de Lyon & Université Claude-Bernard, Lyon 1, Lyon, France.
- Service de Néphrologie, Rhumatologie Et Dermatologie Pédiatriques, Hôpital Femme Mère Enfant, Hospices Civils de Lyon, Boulevard Pinel, 69677, Bron Cedex, France.
- Faculté de Médecine Lyon Est, Université Claude Bernard, Lyon 1, Lyon, France.
- European Rare Kidney Disease Reference Network (ERK-Net) Project Office, Im Neuenheimer Feld 130.3, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany.
- ORKID : Filière Orphan Kidney Diseases, Montpellier, France.
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Peng F, Zheng H. Analysis on the Marketing Trend and Approval Lag of Imported Orphan Drugs from 2010 to 2021 in China. Ther Innov Regul Sci 2023; 57:1314-1321. [PMID: 37651044 DOI: 10.1007/s43441-023-00572-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2023] [Accepted: 08/09/2023] [Indexed: 09/01/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND In order to meet the unmet needs of rare disease patients in China, importing orphan drugs is an important way. The objectives of this study were to investigate the marketing trend of orphan drugs approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and imported by China, to examine the orphan drug lag between China and the United States. METHODS This study analyzes the orphan drugs approved by FDA and imported by China from January 2010 to December 2021. The approval lag for orphan drugs between China and the US was calculated and analyzed by approval time. Factors potentially affecting the approval lag, such as target disease, ATC classification, formulation, corporation name, drug type, and whether the indications belong to the first batch of rare diseases catalogue were investigated. RESULTS The number of FDA-approved orphan drugs imported by China is increasing year by year, and the approval lag of these drugs is gradually decreasing, especially in the classification of Non-L, Injections, Non-United States, and biological product. Compared with 2010-2015, the approval lag of total drugs in the study was significantly improved in 2016-2021 (1977 days) compared with 2010-2015 (3928 days). CONCLUSION China's groundbreaking regulatory reforms of drugs since 2015 had made significant progress in reducing orphan drug lags, but there is still considerable room for progress. We should more actively promote the approval of rare disease drugs in China, establish a better approval mechanism, and enable Chinese patients with rare diseases to receive drug treatment in a timely manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Feifei Peng
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chongqing Medical University, #1 Yixueyuan Road, Yuzhong District, Chongqing, 400016, China
| | - Hang Zheng
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chongqing Medical University, #1 Yixueyuan Road, Yuzhong District, Chongqing, 400016, China.
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Zimmermann BM, Eichinger J, Baumgartner MR. A systematic review of moral reasons on orphan drug reimbursement. Orphanet J Rare Dis 2021; 16:292. [PMID: 34193232 PMCID: PMC8247078 DOI: 10.1186/s13023-021-01925-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2021] [Accepted: 06/20/2021] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The number of market approvals of orphan medicinal products (OMPs) has been increasing steadily in the last 3 decades. While OMPs can offer a unique chance for patients suffering from rare diseases, they are usually very expensive. The growing number of approved OMPs increases their budget impact despite their low prevalence, making it pressing to find solutions to ethical challenges on how to fairly allocate scarce healthcare resources under this context. One potential solution could be to grant OMPs special status when considering them for reimbursement, meaning that they are subject to different, and less stringent criteria than other drugs. This study aims to provide a systematic analysis of moral reasons for and against such a special status for the reimbursement of OMPs in publicly funded healthcare systems from a multidisciplinary perspective. RESULTS With a systematic review of reasons, we identified 39 reasons represented in 243 articles (scientific and grey literature) for and against special status for the reimbursement of OMPs, then categorized them into nine topics. Taking a multidisciplinary perspective, we found that most articles came from health policy (n = 103) and health economics (n = 49). More articles took the position for a special status of OMPs (n = 97) than those against it (n = 31) and there was a larger number of reasons identified in favour (29 reasons) than against (10 reasons) this special status. CONCLUSION Results suggest that OMP reimbursement issues should be assessed and analysed from a multidisciplinary perspective. Despite the higher occurrence of reasons and articles in favour of a special status, there is no clear-cut solution for this ethical challenge. The binary perspective of whether or not OMPs should be granted special status oversimplifies the issue: both OMPs and rare diseases are too heterogeneous in their characteristics for such a binary perspective. Thus, the scientific debate should focus less on the question of disease prevalence but rather on how the important variability of different OMPs concerning e.g. target population, cost-effectiveness, level of evidence or mechanism of action could be meaningfully addressed and implemented in Health Technology Assessments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bettina M Zimmermann
- Institute for Biomedical Ethics, University of Basel, Bernoullistrasse 28, 4056, Basel, Switzerland.
- Institute for History and Ethics in Medicine, Technical University of Munich School of Medicine, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany.
| | - Johanna Eichinger
- Institute for Biomedical Ethics, University of Basel, Bernoullistrasse 28, 4056, Basel, Switzerland
- Institute for History and Ethics in Medicine, Technical University of Munich School of Medicine, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Matthias R Baumgartner
- Division of Metabolism and Children's Research Center, University Children's Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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