VIDEO: We must ‘move the needle forward’ to ensure quality IBD care for patients worldwide
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In this Healio video exclusive, Crohn’s patient advocate Madhura Balasubramaniam discusses how care interventions are often unaffordable and unattainable for the average South Asian patient with inflammatory bowel disease.
Balasubramaniam, director of patient outreach and advocacy at the South Asian IBD Alliance (SAIA), and colleagues recently published a commentary in Gastroenterology that identified care challenges as opportunities for research, education and advocacy for patients with IBD in South Asia.
Comparing treatment costs in the United States and India, Balasubramaniam explained that first-line therapies for IBD can cost the equivalent of $21,000, while biologic and small molecule therapies can cost between $10,000 to $40,000, after adjusting for purchasing power parity. Patients in South Asia must bear these out-of-pocket costs, she said, in addition to consultation fees, monitoring tests and other expenses.
“Being healthy, being well and leading full lives should not at the come at the cost of depleted savings, poverty and financial toxicity,” Balasubramaniam said. “As patient advocates, clinicians, nonprofits, education organizations and industry, we owe it to our patient community across the globe to come together, to bring our voices together and move the needle forward on making quality IBD care accessible to all patients, regardless of where they live in the world.”
Reference:
- Balasubramaniam M, et al. Gastroenterology. 2022;doi:10.1053/j.gastro.2022.08.051.
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