Designing access to Chagas disease treatment in the United States

• In Event: Social inequalities and health: a case for social justice with a focus on Chagas disease

Abstract

In the United States, most of Chagas disease patients are Latino immigrants and live with no access to treatment. Benznidazole, the first-line drug for Chagas disease, was approved by U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2017. The pharmaceutical company made important efforts to make the drugs available and affordable; however, access to treatment was still limited. Because of the absence of public awareness about the disease, coupled with the socio-political environments around Latino immigrants in the US, the demands for benznidazole remained low in the drug market. To overcome this market failure, the pharmaceutical company partnered with an academic institution to develop an access plan; a set of strategies guided by public health perspectives. This access plan defines access as an ability of end-users to obtain and appropriately use good quality drugs when they are needed. With access conceived as social, economic, political and cultural processes, the access plan recommends not only that drugs should be available and affordable to patients, but also be adopted by the governments, payers, physicians, and patients. It also addresses issues around partnership – an organizational structure established to coordinate and steer activities necessary to ensure access. Main recommendations from this access plan will be presented during the panel discussion. Access to Chagas disease treatment can be viewed as an outcome of a fair public-private relationship. This case adds one example to efforts towards health equity of Latino immigrants in the US and social justice; everyone deserves equal rights and opportunities to good health.

Author

• Kota Yoshioka