Access to Medications for Cardiovascular Diseases in Low- and Middle-Income Countries.

ABSTRACT: Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) represent the highest burden of disease globally. Medicines are a critical intervention used to prevent and treat CVD. This review describes access to medication for CVD from a health system perspective and strategies that have been used to promote access, including providing medicines at lower cost, improving medication supply, ensuring medicine quality, promoting appropriate use, and managing intellectual property issues. Using key evidence in published and gray literature and systematic reviews, we summarize advances in access to cardiovascular medicines using the 5 health system dimensions of access: availability, affordability, accessibility, acceptability, and quality of medicines. There are multiple barriers to access of CVD medicines, particularly in l

SUBMITTER: Wirtz VJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4880457 | biostudies-literature | 2016 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature