Availability, price and affordability of essential medicines for managing cardiovascular disease in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Abstract Access to health care is a fundamental human right. However, nearly one-third of the global population have no access to it. This magnitude is even much worse in low- and middle-income countries. A cross-sectional study was conducted from April 12 to June 5, 2024 to determine availability,...

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Main Authors: Rediet Masresha, Fikreselam Habte, Mamo Feyissa Senbeta, Assefa Mulu Baye, Chalelgn Kassaw, Melak Gedamu Beyene
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2024-12-01
Series:Scientific Reports
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-82919-1
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author Rediet Masresha
Fikreselam Habte
Mamo Feyissa Senbeta
Assefa Mulu Baye
Chalelgn Kassaw
Melak Gedamu Beyene
author_facet Rediet Masresha
Fikreselam Habte
Mamo Feyissa Senbeta
Assefa Mulu Baye
Chalelgn Kassaw
Melak Gedamu Beyene
author_sort Rediet Masresha
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Access to health care is a fundamental human right. However, nearly one-third of the global population have no access to it. This magnitude is even much worse in low- and middle-income countries. A cross-sectional study was conducted from April 12 to June 5, 2024 to determine availability, price and affordability of essential medicines for managing cardiovascular diseases using WHO/HAI methodology in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Data on the availability and price of the lowest priced generic medicines were collected from five public, ten private and eight other sectors in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The availability was assessed as the percentage of health facilities that stocked the listed medicines. The prices of these medicines were evaluated across all sectors. Price variations were calculated to identify differences among these settings. Additionally, medicine prices were compared against the management sciences for health (MSH) International Reference Prices to calculate the Median Price Ratio (MPR), providing a standardized measure of price affordability and accessibility. The data was analyzed using WHO/HAI work book Excel sheet V 15. The overall availability of generic drugs in all sectors was found to be 34.52%. The availability was 33.73, 40.58, 29.8 and 33.99% in Public, Private, Kenema and Red Cross pharmacies, respectively. The median price ratios for the medications used to treat cardiovascular disease were 3.49, 7.24, 2.84 and 5.2 at Public, Private, Kenema, and Red Cross Pharmacies, respectively. Majority of the medicines were found to be unaffordable, costing up to 352.44 days’ wage of the lowest paid government employee to cover a one-month standard treatment. In conclusion, the study underscores significant challenges in the availability, pricing, and affordability of LPG medications to treat CVDs in Ethiopia.
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spelling doaj-art-bc92d10ae87a4c059966be0c0f8113c72024-12-29T12:28:15ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222024-12-0114111010.1038/s41598-024-82919-1Availability, price and affordability of essential medicines for managing cardiovascular disease in Addis Ababa, EthiopiaRediet Masresha0Fikreselam Habte1Mamo Feyissa Senbeta2Assefa Mulu Baye3Chalelgn Kassaw4Melak Gedamu Beyene5School of Pharmacy, College of Health Sciences, Addis Ababa UniversitySchool of Pharmacy, College of Health Sciences, Addis Ababa UniversitySchool of Pharmacy, College of Health Sciences, Addis Ababa UniversitySchool of Pharmacy, College of Health Sciences, Addis Ababa UniversitySchool of Pharmacy, College of Health Sciences, Addis Ababa UniversitySchool of Pharmacy, College of Health Sciences, Addis Ababa UniversityAbstract Access to health care is a fundamental human right. However, nearly one-third of the global population have no access to it. This magnitude is even much worse in low- and middle-income countries. A cross-sectional study was conducted from April 12 to June 5, 2024 to determine availability, price and affordability of essential medicines for managing cardiovascular diseases using WHO/HAI methodology in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Data on the availability and price of the lowest priced generic medicines were collected from five public, ten private and eight other sectors in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The availability was assessed as the percentage of health facilities that stocked the listed medicines. The prices of these medicines were evaluated across all sectors. Price variations were calculated to identify differences among these settings. Additionally, medicine prices were compared against the management sciences for health (MSH) International Reference Prices to calculate the Median Price Ratio (MPR), providing a standardized measure of price affordability and accessibility. The data was analyzed using WHO/HAI work book Excel sheet V 15. The overall availability of generic drugs in all sectors was found to be 34.52%. The availability was 33.73, 40.58, 29.8 and 33.99% in Public, Private, Kenema and Red Cross pharmacies, respectively. The median price ratios for the medications used to treat cardiovascular disease were 3.49, 7.24, 2.84 and 5.2 at Public, Private, Kenema, and Red Cross Pharmacies, respectively. Majority of the medicines were found to be unaffordable, costing up to 352.44 days’ wage of the lowest paid government employee to cover a one-month standard treatment. In conclusion, the study underscores significant challenges in the availability, pricing, and affordability of LPG medications to treat CVDs in Ethiopia.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-82919-1Availability of drugsAffordability of drugsPrice of drugsEssential medicineMedicine for cardiovascular diseasesAccess to medicine in Ethiopia
spellingShingle Rediet Masresha
Fikreselam Habte
Mamo Feyissa Senbeta
Assefa Mulu Baye
Chalelgn Kassaw
Melak Gedamu Beyene
Availability, price and affordability of essential medicines for managing cardiovascular disease in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Scientific Reports
Availability of drugs
Affordability of drugs
Price of drugs
Essential medicine
Medicine for cardiovascular diseases
Access to medicine in Ethiopia
title Availability, price and affordability of essential medicines for managing cardiovascular disease in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
title_full Availability, price and affordability of essential medicines for managing cardiovascular disease in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
title_fullStr Availability, price and affordability of essential medicines for managing cardiovascular disease in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
title_full_unstemmed Availability, price and affordability of essential medicines for managing cardiovascular disease in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
title_short Availability, price and affordability of essential medicines for managing cardiovascular disease in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
title_sort availability price and affordability of essential medicines for managing cardiovascular disease in addis ababa ethiopia
topic Availability of drugs
Affordability of drugs
Price of drugs
Essential medicine
Medicine for cardiovascular diseases
Access to medicine in Ethiopia
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-82919-1
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