Asthma situation and the “Asthma Drug Facility” response

1. Asthma situation and the “Asthma Drug Facility” response Providing access to affordable quality assured essential asthma medicines

2. Global Burden of Asthma • 300 million cases worldwide, still increasing • Common chronic disease among children • Majority in low- and lower-middle income countries • Prevalence higher in urban areas • Asthma accounts for about 1 death in every 250 deaths worldwide • Health cost of asthma increases with ineffective management Masoli M et al. Burden of asthma. http://www.ginasthma.com

3. Challenges for management of asthma in poor countries • Major cause of unplanned visits to health facilities in urban centres • Low income and low health expenditure per capita • Priority is given to communicable diseases • Poor access to health services, particularly for the long-term management needed for asthma • Lack of trained health personnel • Low or non-affordability of asthma medicines for patients

4. The Union’s response Improve affordability of essential asthma medicines in developing countries Improve skills of health personnel by the development of a training package Assess quality of care by regular monitoring and evaluation Ait-Khaled N et al. Allergy 2007;62:230-36.

5. High cost (=low affordability for patients) of essential asthma drugs, particularly inhaled corticosteroids, has been demonstrated since 1998 in The Union studies: Majority of patients cannot afford the essential medicines. Minority of rich patients are purchasing very costly unnecessary medicines. Why create the Asthma Drug Facility? Low affordability of drugs in many countries

6. Why create an ADF? Low affordability e.g. Inhaled beclometasone 250µg Survey (46 countries), The Union and ADF, 2005

7. Low and middle-income countries cannot afford to not treat asthma Costs increase when asthma not treated or incorrectly treated. We need to: Why create an ADF? The health costs arguments • Reduce unnecessary expense of emergency visits, hospitalisation, and ineffective and inappropriate medicines • Reduce indirect costs on patients, families, governments

8. How does the ADF work? • ADF organises qualification of manufacturers and products (as part of its Quality Assurance system), since asthma inhalers are not part of the WHO Prequalification Programme • ADF establishes contracts with selected manufacturers for qualified products and proposes these products to countries, organisations, programmes • Countries purchase generics at affordable prices • ADF provides training materials and EpiData information system • Additional services in collaboration with The Union: • Training courses and technical assistance

9. What do ADF clients need to do? • Clients must agree to: • Use the products supplied according to the 4 step approach for treatment and diagnosis proposed in The Union Asthma guide • A minimum order of 5000 corticosteroid inhalers • Take the responsibility for the importation of medicines into the recipient country • Sell the medicines with a minimal mark-up or to provide them free of charge to patients • Not re-export or resell these medicines • Make a full payment in advance to ADF • Submit quarterly monitoring reports to ADF

10. ADF Products*Recommended in WHO Essential Medicines List 2009**Add to this: the costs of transport and insurance, preshipment inspection and 10% fees for ADF services (includingquality control)

11. Commitment from respiratory specialists, public health specialists, health workers, communities Convince governments to buy essential medicines for the majority of patients Country adoption / adaptation of international asthma guidelines What else needs to happen for improved access to quality asthma care?

12. Contact • Asthma Drug Facility • International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union) • 68, Boulevard Saint-Michel • 75006 Paris, France • Tel: (+33) 1 44 32 03 75 • Fax: (+33) 1 43 29 90 87 • ADF@theunion.org • Website: www.GlobalADF.org (in English, French and Spanish)