Donini: “Two years of work involving the Irccs Institute of Neurological Sciences of Bologna and the Region have been successfully crowned. Proud of the very high skills of our professionals”
Until now, thousands of people around the world were excluded from treatment due to the impossibility of accessing overpriced medicines. The ‘Cochrane Multiple Sclerosis and Rare Diseases of the Central Nervous System’ Group, which is based at the Epidemiology and Statistics Operational Unit of Bellaria, is part of the international study team
August 4, 2023 – Thousands of people affected by multiple sclerosis in the world will finally have one possibility of access to treatment that, especially in countries with limited resources, to date they were not availabledue to excessively high drug costs or lack of healthcare resources.
The World Health OrganizationIndeed, he entered for the first time in the new “List of Essential Medicines” – which therefore must be guaranteed to all citizens in every part of the world – three medicines to treat multiple sclerosis: rituximab, glatiramer acetate and cladribine.
A definite result historical by WHO itself, obtained after two years of work also thanks to the contribution of Emilia-Romagnain particular of theIrccs Institute of Neurological Sciences of Bologna and ofRegional Department of Health Policies. The international work team includes the Cochrane Group Multiple Sclerosis and Rare Diseases of the Central Nervous Systemwhich is based in the Epidemiology and Statistics Operations Unit of the Bellaria hospital, directed by Dr. Francesco Nonino and made up of Drs. Elisa Baldin and Ben Ridley.
The project, promoted by “Multiple Sclerosis International Federation”, a international federation of associations of people affected by multiple sclerosis, involved 51 experts and patient representatives from 24 countries around the world. After studies and research lasting two years, the request to WHO for the inclusion of the three drugs was made by the Federation together with the collaborating Center “WHO Collaborating Centre in Evidence-Based Research Synthesis and Guideline Development”, which reports to the regional health councilorship – hospital assistance sector, drug governance area and medical devices, directed by Dr. Francesco Nonino and made up of Drs. Elisabetta Pasi, Roberta Giroldini and Lucia Magnano.
“We are proud to have put the very high skills of our professionals at the service of such an important and just cause – comments the councilor for health policies, Raffaele Donini-. With the Ircss Institute of Neurological Sciences of Bologna, which I thank, and the Federation that brings together many professionals, experts and patients at an international level, we have contributed to obtaining this truly important result. Finally thousands and thousands of patients with multiple sclerosis will be able to have access to treatments which unfortunately were still denied in many countries”.
The World Health Organization underlines that “the inclusion in the list of three medicines, with different routes of administration, different prices (including the availability of generics and biosimilars) and different recommended uses, will provide valid options for both patients , and for national health policy decisions and will facilitate better access to care for people living with multiple sclerosis”.
Here is the official communication from WHO: