Availability, treatment costs and affordability of SGLT-2 inhibitors and GLP-1 RAs for diabetes in 10 countries: a cross-sectional study.
Heart and kidney-protective drugs remain unaffordably expensive in most developing countries despite greatest health impact there, highlighting urgent pricing reform needs.
A 10-country cross-sectional analysis documents dramatic disparities in SGLT-2 inhibitor and GLP-1RA availability and affordability, finding these cardioprotective drug classes unaffordable in most low- and middle-income settings despite evidence of greatest absolute benefit in high-burden populations. These findings highlight an urgent health policy gap requiring differential pricing strategies to translate cardiometabolic evidence into global patient benefit.
What the study was
- Study design
- Cross-sectional comparative study (10 countries: availability, pricing, and affordability analysis)
- Population
- National health systems and pharmacy databases in 10 countries (high, middle, and low-income settings)
- Category
- Public Health
- Maturity
- Validated
- Journal
- BMJ open
Why it surfaced
10-country access disparity analysis for SGLT-2/GLP-1RA. Direct public health relevance to cardiometabolic watchlist; documents the global implementation gap for proven therapies. BMJ Open.
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