Improving access to affordable inhaled medicines – generating the evidence

Professor Refiloe Masekela, University of KwaZulu Natal, South Africa

This talk will focus on the one of the 5 key priorities that were identified from a Union convened stakeholders meeting, on the need to generate the evidence to improve access to inhaler medicines. Barriers identified in this meeting, included lack of locally relevant data, especially on the health economic arguments for improving access to quality assured asthma medicines for all. The talk will use Africa as a case study, but highlighting some of the current work being done to address these evidence gaps both on the epidemiologic data, but as well as the health economic evidence.

References

• Stolbrink M et al. The availability, cost, and affordability of essential medicines for asthma and COPD in low-income and middle-income countries: a systematic review. Lancet Glob Health. 2022 Oct;10(10):e1423-e1442. doi: 10.1016/S2214-109X(22)00330-8.
• Meghji J et al. Improving lung health in low-income and middle-income countries: from challenges to solutions. Lancet 2021 397(10277):928-940.doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(21)00458-X.
• Stolbrink M et al. Improving access to affordable quality-assured inhaled medicines in low- and middle-income countries. Int J Tuberc Lung Dis 2022; 26(11):1023-1032. doi: 10.5588/ijtld.22.0270.