article · Thorax
Most individuals living with chronic respiratory diseases reside in low-income and middle-income countries, yet contemporary evidence regarding the availability and cost of essential treatments has been lacking. A cross-sectional survey collected data across sixty low-income and middle-income nations between 2022 and 2023, assessing seven essential respiratory medicines in central medicine stores, pharmacies, and healthcare facilities. The investigation revealed a marked contrast between different drug classes. While medications intended for symptomatic relief were generally affordable and widely obtainable, preventative treatments showed substantial price variations, lower availability, and poor affordability. These systemic disparities present a critical barrier to meeting Sustainable Development Goal targets for asthma management by 2030, underscoring the necessity of targeted interventions to improve access to preventative therapies.
Chronic respiratory illnesses affect millions of people across developing economies who rely on regular treatment. When essential preventative medicines are too expensive or physically absent from local clinics and pharmacies, patients must rely only on symptom relief, increasing their risk of severe health complications and preventing global health targets from being met.
The findings highlight market gaps and demand for affordable, accessible preventative respiratory medicines within low-income and middle-income healthcare systems. Potential users of this market intelligence include pharmaceutical suppliers, procurement agencies, and healthcare distributors seeking to address documented supply shortages. However, the abstract does not indicate a specific commercialisation pathway or direct product application.
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Contemporary data on the availability, cost and affordability of essential medicines for chronic respiratory diseases (CRDs) across low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) are missing, despite most people with CRDs living in LMICs. Cross-sectional data for seven CRD medicines in pharmacies, healthcare facilities and central medicine stores were collected from 60 LMICs in 2022-2023. Medicines for symptomatic relief were widely available and affordable, while preventative treatments varied widely in cost, were less available and largely unaffordable. There is an urgent need to address these issues if the Sustainable Development Goal 3 is to be achieved for people with asthma by 2030.
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DOI: 10.1136/thorax-2023-221349
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