The Italian Medicines Agency (#AIFA) presented the first « Atlas of social inequalities in the use of medicines for the treatment of major #chronicdiseases ».
Disease focus
- Adults : hypertension, dyslipidaemias, hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, depression, dementia, Parkinson’s disease, osteoporosis, benign prostatic hypertrophy, hyperuricemia and gout, diabetes and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease;
- Children : asthma, epilepsy and attention deficit/hyperactivitydisorder.
Findings
- Medicine consumption for almost all the conditions analysed is higher in subjects from the most disadvantaged areas, likely due to worse health conditions, which could be associated with an incorrect lifestyle.
- Similar correlation did not emerge when authors analysed adherence and persistence to treatment in the same population.
« The objective was to evaluate how access to medicines for main chronic diseases is related to specific socio-economic factors such as education, employment, family composition, density and condition in the context of a universalistic system ».
– Nicola Magrini – AlFA’s General Director
« It is the starting point of an ambitious project, shared with some of the main Italian research groups. This network is now available for further analysis that can inform national or local policies on reduction or mitigation of inequalities »
– Francesco Trotta – Head of AlFA’s HTA and pharmaceutical economy division
Highlights of the Report are available on the AIFA website at the page:
https://www.aifa.gov.it/documents/20142/1289678/Atlante_disugulaglianze_2021_Highlights_EN.pdf