Posted on April 14, 2008 in Latest News
A combined study carried out by the Medical University of Vienna, Austria and by the authors of Stockholm School of Economics, University of Lund, Sweden on “The Burden of Rheumatoid Arthritis and Patient Access to Treatments” found that the highest cost in rheumatoid arthritis results when patients are bound to leave their work early due to the condition.
“The study highlights the significant variation in patient access to disease-modifying biologic drugs for the treatment of RA. This is important because medical data have shown that early treatment with these drugs reduces inflammation and can prevent or reduce the speed of joint damage and hence the progression of affected individuals to disability,” said lead author of the study Professor Bengt Jönsson, Stockholm School of Economics.
According to the 2006 figures, the total estimated annual economic impact resulted due to rheumatoid arthritis in Western Europe is €42 billion and €3.4 billion in Eastern Europe. This figure shows that rheumatoid arthritis causes a great economic loss both to the individuals and to the nation.
The study reports that the use of biologic rheumatoid arthritis drugs improves the condition and prevents disability. It also reports that a patient access to the new drugs in Europe is very low in compare to US.
Dr. Gisela Kobelt, health economist said that: “The costs of the drugs must be viewed within the overall cost of the disease and the benefit of these drugs over the long term, that is in relation to their positive health impact and the savings that should eventually result from this.”
Professor Josef Smolen, a rheumatologist at the Medical University of Vienna, said that:
“Of all the chronic diseases, rheumatoid arthritis has one of the biggest impacts on the quality of life of patients.”
“I am confident that this study will contribute to the discussion on the importance of RA from a societal perspective and not just a health care perspective. Patient access to good care and treatment including thorough follow-up examinations and access to innovative drug therapies, where indicated, are critical elements that will benefit all of society…”
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