Pharmaco-economic inequalities in access to antifibrotic treatment for interstitial lung disease in the Asia-pacific region

Felix Chua and Larry Ellee Nyanti and Shirin Hui Tan and Syazatul Syakirin Sirol Aflah and Sze Shyang Kho and Gin Tsen Chai and Amornpun Wangkarnjana and Su-Ying Low and Sita Andarini and Lutz Beckert and Celeste May Campomanes and Florence KP Chan and Sally De Boer and Supparerk Disayabutr and Dina Diaz and Fanny Fachrucha and Nicole Goh and Tomohiro Handa and Adelle Jee and Kamon Kawkitinarong and Hsin-Kuo Ko and Valencia Lim and John Mackintosh and Noorul Afidza Muhammad and Moo Suk Park and Eric Tenda and Ying-Ming Tsai and Catherine Joy Tubig and Le Thuong Vu and Trang Vu and Margaret Wilsher and Wing-Ho Yip and Yoshizaku Inoue and Jin Woo Song (2025) Pharmaco-economic inequalities in access to antifibrotic treatment for interstitial lung disease in the Asia-pacific region. tuberculosis & respiratory diseases, 88 (4). pp. 673-686. ISSN 1738-3536

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Abstract

Antifibrotic drugs, available for the best part of the last decade in many parts of the world, have improved outcomes in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and progressive pulmonary fibrosis. However, it is unclear whether patients suffering from these devastating conditions have timely and adequate access to antifibrotic therapy in the Asia-Pacific region (APAC). In this mixed-methods narrative review of 12 APAC countries, integration of questionnaire-based insights of 31 regional clinical experts in interstitial lung disease (ILD) with publicly available pharmaco-economic information has been used to understand how country-specific challenges impact on antifibrotic accessibility. Overall, a broad range of approaches are utilized to provide antifibrotic treatment including centrally or state-determined drug budgets, pharmaceutical industry-subsidized initiatives, charitable support and self-paying (out-of-pocket) options. Impediments to antifibrotic access commonly arise from prohibitive drug pricing in relation to income, absence of universal coverage for pharmaceutical costs, lack of formal pharmaco-economic analysis or restrictions on the use of generic preparations. Unequal access to antifibrotic drugs is a vital unmet therapeutic need in the APAC region, one that is likely to be exacerbated by a rising fibrotic ILD burden.

Item Type: Article
Keyword: Antifibrotic Treatment, Interstitial Lung Disease, Asia-Pacific Region
Subjects: R Medicine > RC Internal medicine > RC31-1245 Internal medicine > RC581-951 Specialties of internal medicine > RC705-779 Diseases of the respiratory system
R Medicine > RC Internal medicine > RC31-1245 Internal medicine > RC581-951 Specialties of internal medicine > RC799-869 Diseases of the digestive system. Gastroenterology
Department: FACULTY > Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences
Depositing User: JUNAINE JASNI -
Date Deposited: 23 Oct 2025 15:19
Last Modified: 23 Oct 2025 15:19
URI: https://eprints.ums.edu.my/id/eprint/45515

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