Essential Medicines Technical Briefing Seminar 1 |

Access to essential medicines for NCDs

WHO EMP and NVI Departments

Access to essential medicines for NCDs

WHO EMP and NVI Departments

Essential Medicines Technical Briefing Seminar 2 |

Access to NCD essential medicines on the global agenda

Access to NCD essential medicines on the global agenda

Access to chronic disease medicines is required for the fulfilment of MDG8

– Governments, in collaboration with the private sector, should give greater priority to treating chronic diseases and improving the accessibility of medicines to treat them (MDG Report 2009)

Political declaration at the UN General Assembly, Sept 2011 (A/66.1, 45l)

WHA 2013:Endorsement of a Global Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Non-communicable Diseases (NCDs) focusing on cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, CRDs and cancer including palliative care

Essential Medicines Technical Briefing Seminar 3 |

Global Action Plan and Monitoring FrameworkGlobal Action Plan and Monitoring Framework

Essential Medicines Technical Briefing Seminar 4 |

Target 9Target 9

80% availability of basic health technologies and essential medicines including generics required to treat major NCDs in both public and private facilities

Achieved in many LMICs for vaccines, TB and malaria medicines, ARVs

In 40 LMICs, availability of generic essential medicines in public and private sector (Cameron et al, 2011)

– For treatment of acute communicable diseases: 53.5% public, 66.2% private– For chronic diseases: 36% public, 54.7% private facilities

Costs of chronic medicine treatment can incur catastrophic health expenditure, pushing the family below the poverty line… however many of the commonly used medicines are out of patent and relatively cheap

Essential Medicines Technical Briefing Seminar 5 |

What do NCD medicines cost without tariffs, taxes and mark-ups?

What do NCD medicines cost without tariffs, taxes and mark-ups?

Product Units per month

Median Unit Cost

Monthly cost Source

Glibenclamide 5mg tab 30 $ 0.0034 $ 0.102 MSH 2010

Metformin 500mg tab 60 $ 0.0105 $ 0.630 MSH 2010

Insulin NPH 100IU/ml 10ml 1 $ 4.20 $ 4.20 MSH 2010 (Buy)

Salbutamol inh 100mcg 200 doses

1 $ 1.08 $ 1.08 ADF 2011

Beclometasone inh 100mcg 200 doses

1 $ 1.28 $ 1.28 ADF 2011

Aspirin (ASA) 100mg tab 30 $ 0.0019 $ 0.0057 MSH 2010

Simvastatin 20mg tab 30 $ 0.0286 $ 0.858 MSH 2010

Hydrochlorothiazide 25mg tab

30 $ 0.0037 $ 0.111 MSH 2010

Atenolol 50mg tab 30 $ 0.095 $ 0.285 MSH 2010

Tamoxifen 20MG tab 30 $ 0.0732 $ 2.196 MSH 2010Main sources: MSH International Drug Price Indicator Guide 2010 and ADF Catalogue 2011

Essential Medicines Technical Briefing Seminar 6 |

Challenges with NCD medicinesChallenges with NCD medicines

Oral medicines available as generic multisource products (Metformin, Aspirin, Hydrochlorothiazide, Tamoxifen) – cheap on the international market but not always available where patients need them, quality problems

Inhalers for asthma/COPD and insulin – available but more expensive and more sophisticated to produce and to use. For insulin, limited number of manufacturers, domination of the market by few pharmaceutical companies and specific conditions for distribution.

Some products still under patent and only accessible through large access programs from pharmaceutical companies, variable access for population.

Opioid analgesics: efficacious and at affordable costs, necessary for palliative care, not largely available due to legislative/regulatory barriers. 93,8% of all licit morphine consumption by 21,8% of the world population (INCB 2010, Data for 2009)

Essential Medicines Technical Briefing Seminar 7 |

Availability of asthma inhalers Availability of asthma inhalers

Babar ZU, Lessing C, Mace C, Bissell K. The availability, pricing and affordability of three essential asthma medicines in 52 low- and middle income countries.

Pharmacoeconomics. 2013;31(11):1063-82.

Essential Medicines Technical Briefing Seminar 8 |

Prices of insulin per 10ml 100 IU vialPrices of insulin per 10ml 100 IU vial

Beran D, Yudkin JS. Looking beyond the issue of access to insulin: what is needed for proper diabetes care in resource poor settings. Diabetes Res Clin Pract. 2010;88(3):217-21

Essential Medicines Technical Briefing Seminar 9 |

Affordability and availability of insulin in the public sector to the individual

Affordability and availability of insulin in the public sector to the individual

HI = Health Insurance 40% of interviewees had health insuranceIfL = Insulin for Life – supplies two of the three main paediatric hospitals in Vietnam

Beran D, Yudkin JS. Looking beyond the issue of access to insulin: what is needed for proper diabetes care in resource poor settings. Diabetes Res Clin Pract. 2010;88(3):217-21

Essential Medicines Technical Briefing Seminar 10 |

Access to essential medicines A Framework for action

Access to essential medicines A Framework for action

1. Rationalselection

4. Reliablehealth and

supplysystems

2. Affordableprices

3. UHC and Sustainablefinancing

ACCESS

Essential Medicines Technical Briefing Seminar 11 |

Options to improve the situationOptions to improve the situation

Rational selection

– Standard Therapeutic Guidelines including evidence-based selection of medicines (NEML based on recommendations from WHO Expert Committee on Selection and Rational Use and PEN guidelines)

– Alignment of NEML and STGs as a basis for procurement, reimbursement and training of staff

– Promotion of the use of STGs and NEML by health care professionals and proper training of staff on STGs

Financing and Universal Health Coverage

– Increase government budget to ensure widespread access to a reduced number of NCD essential medicines

– Expand coverage/health insurance and ensure NCD essential medicines are part of the essential package covered

Essential Medicines Technical Briefing Seminar 12 |

Options to improve the situationOptions to improve the situation

Price

– Competition, promotion of generics, transparent procurement procedures, substitution, reduce duties/taxes and mark-ups, monitoring prices

– For single source products or under patent, apply WTO/TRIPS flexibilities and use available differential pricing

Reliable Supply systems

– Supply quality-assured products: reinforce NRAs and limit SSFFC products in the supply chain, increase confidence of prescribers in generic products

– Improve quantification of needs and forecasting using good information systems

– Reinforce private and public supply chains

Essential Medicines Technical Briefing Seminar 13 |

Perspective and Role for WHO/EMPPerspective and Role for WHO/EMP

Sensitize countries and partners to the barriers for access to essential medicines and health technologies for NCDs

Develop and promote monitoring tools to document the situation, to identify priority interventions and measure improvements in access over time

Update WHO Model List of Essential Medicines to address NCD issues (e.g. cancer section)

Update and promote use of National Standard Therapeutic guidelines

Continue the country support to strengthen NRAs and supply systems and develop relevant policies (including pricing policies)

Support global and regional initiatives for information sharing on medicines prices and availability

Essential Medicines Technical Briefing Seminar 14 |

Global Coordination Mechanism – Working Groups on NCDs

– Active private sector participation– Innovative financing for NCDs

UN Inter Agency Task Force on NCDs – 42 working teams – access to essential medicines for NCDs

being one of them

WHO working plan – Discussion Paper– Action points for WHO and Member States on NCD medicines– To be peer-reviewed and posted on website for public

comments before the end of the year

Recent Global InitiativesRecent Global Initiatives

THANK YOU