New Report Reveals Inequality Of Patient Access Across Europe To Innovative Treatments For Rheumatoid Arthritis

Main Category: Arthritis / Rheumatology
Article Date: 13 Oct 2009 - 1:00 PDT

email to a friend   printer friendly   view / write opinions   rate article

European patients still face inequalities in access to the majority of innovative biologics treatments for rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Speed and levels of access depend on where patients live, a report published today. The proportion of patients diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis who are treated with biologics can range from 30% in Norway to less than 1% in Bulgaria.

"It is particularly appropriate that this report is published today, on World Arthritis Day", commented Brian Ager, Director General of EFPIA, the Federation of the research-based pharmaceutical industry in Europe. "It helps shed light on the reasons why patients face these inequalities in access to RA treatments. We hope it will stimulate discussions on how we achieve the optimal use of new technologies and treatment for all patients."

The report shows that new treatments, despite being shown to be extremely effective, are not used to their full potential. "There are many factors explaining differences in uptake of innovative treatments," said Dr. Gisela Kobelt, President of European Health Economics, France and researcher at the Department of Orthopedics at Lund University, Sweden, the report's lead researcher. "One of the most important of them is insufficient consideration being given to societal costs in authorities' public health strategies, despite these representing more than half of all disease cost."

The report indicates that the greatest differences in access result from large variations in affordability among countries in Europe, a problem exacerbated by standardised drug prices caused by Europe's regulatory environment. Affordability concerns lead to different assessments of the cost-effectiveness of treatments, which increasingly steer authorities' decisions in treatment guidelines.

The report authors call on European public authorities to realize the potential benefits of early and wide access to innovative treatments in RA. For the 2 million people affected by RA in Europe, disease remission is today a realistic goal, by using innovative treatments for the right patients, at the right time and in the right way. This can contribute to healthcare savings in both the short and long-term, through fewer hospital admissions, less surgical interventions and longer activity in workforce.

This report is the latest in a series of publications in the European Journal of Health Economics examining 'The burden of rheumatoid arthritis and access to treatment: uptake of new therapies'1. It was supported by an unrestricted grant from EFPIA, with analyses conducted by i3 Innovus, a company specializing in health economics and outcomes research.

The full report is available for download here: http://www.comparatorreports.se

1 Jönsson B, Kobelt G, Smolen J., Eur J Health Econ 2008;8 (Suppl 2):S33-106.

Source
EFPIA