Developing countries are ill-equipped to manage the growing chronic-disease burden, new EIU report finds

For immediate release:
Thursday, January 19th, 2017 

•    The burden of disease attributable to chronic or non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in developing countries is increasing relentlessly.
•    Much could be achieved through preventive policy intervention, but there is no "one-size-fits-all” solution.
•    Delivering appropriate NCD care to patients requires addressing multiple challenges such as underdeveloped NCD policy and access to medical care. 
•    Developing countries face an acute financing constraint for healthcare in general, and for NCDs in particular.
•    Technological and organisational innovations as well as sustained, co-ordinated efforts across multiple stakeholders are required.

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, mental illness, diabetes and chronic respiratory disorders are posing a growing threat to healthcare systems in developing countries. This is highlighted in a new report published today (January 18th) by The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), The next pandemic? Non-communicable diseases in developing countries, commissioned by the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA) on behalf of Access Accelerated, an initiative to address the NCD burden.

According to data from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, NCDs account for over half of the overall disease burden in lower-middle-income countries, and close to one-third in low-income countries. The evidence shows that, in absolute terms, this burden increased by nearly 30% between 2000 and 2015.

Existing healthcare systems in developing countries are ill-equipped to manage this rising burden. Challenges include insufficient access to medical care and to healthcare facilities and professionals, but also policy weaknesses. There are also major financing constraints; for example, on a per-capita basis, total spending on healthcare in low-income countries amounts to less than 1% of the expenditure of high-income countries. Meanwhile, only a tiny percentage of development assistance on health is allocated to NCDs.

In order to address the challenges, health awareness programmes, urban planning that facilitates physical activity, and taxation strategies that seek to reduce demand for tobacco are all good starting points, but there is no “one-size-fits-all” solution. Technological and organisational innovations as well as sustained, co-ordinated efforts across multiple stakeholders are required. The healthcare infrastructure developed to address Millennium Development Goals can be leveraged to face the NCD challenge.

Martin Koehring, the editor of the report, said: “Healthcare systems in many developing countries have evolved to cope with the burden of infectious diseases and to improve child and maternal health. There is now a pressing need to include the prevention and management of chronic diseases in these systems, requiring new thinking on how such medical services are financed.”

Read The next pandemic? Non-communicable diseases in developing countries here
  

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Jonathan Yefet, marketing associate
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Martin Koehring, senior editor & global editorial lead, healthcare
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Notes to editors
The next pandemic? Non-communicable diseases in developing countries is an Economist Intelligence Unit report. It examines the growing burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in low- and lower-middle-income countries, the drivers of this change, and possible solutions for how healthcare systems can bridge the resource gap to deliver appropriate NCD care for patients. The findings of this report are based on data analysis, desk research and five in-depth interviews with senior healthcare experts. The report was commissioned by the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA) on behalf of Access Accelerated, an initiative to address the NCD burden.

About The Economist Intelligence Unit
The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) is the world leader in global business intelligence. It is the business-to-business arm of The Economist Group, which publishes The Economist newspaper. The EIU helps executives make better decisions by providing timely, reliable and impartial analysis on worldwide market trends and business strategies. More information can be found at www.eiu.com or www.twitter.com/theeiu.
 
About Access Accelerated
Access Accelerated is a first-of-its-kind, multi-stakeholder collaboration focused on improving NCD care. Involving more than 20 biopharmaceutical companies, the initiative works with partners such as World Bank Group and the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) to help overcome a variety of access barriers to NCD medicines in low-income and lower-middle income countries. Access Accelerated will support multi-stakeholder dialogue and begin on-the-ground work to improve NCD prevention, diagnosis and treatment. 
 
Contributing companies and associations include: Almirall, Astellas, Bayer, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Celgene, Chugai, Daiichi Sankyo, Eisai, Eli Lilly and Company, EFPIA, GlaxoSmithKline, The International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA), Johnson & Johnson, JPMA, Menarini, Merck, MSD, Novartis, Pfizer, PhRMA, Roche, Sanofi, Shionogi, Sumitomo Dainippon, Takeda and UCB. IFPMA will act as the Secretariat for Access Accelerated.