Pulmonologists and professional associations have again appealed to the Ministry of Health to find a way to compensate medications for patients with sarcoidosis, public media report.
Although the state covers the costs of so-called first and second-line medications, some patients require a more specific drug. It is even included in the list of reimbursable medications, but for a different diagnosis. As a result, several young patients with sarcoidosis have found themselves in a desperate situation, unable to breathe and live normally.
Sarcoidosis is a chronic inflammatory disease that can affect any organ. As noted by the acting head of the Center for Lung Diseases and Thoracic Surgery at Stradiņš Clinical University Hospital, Zaiga Kravale, in Latvia, the disease most commonly affects the lungs and lymph nodes, but involvement of other organs is not excluded.
"It can be anything - the liver, kidneys, heart, eyes. The most frightening thing is that the course of the disease is unpredictable and it most often affects people of working age. The peak incidence occurs between the ages of 20 and 40," says the center's director.
"We need the drug 'Infliximab', the effectiveness of which has been confirmed by international clinical guidelines for over ten years. It is also used by rheumatologists in the treatment of arthritis. But we are not compensated for it," Kravale said.
Inese Kaupere, director of the pharmaceutical department at the Ministry of Health, reported that the ministry is aware of the problem.
"The only condition under which the state could compensate these medications for patients with sarcoidosis is to negotiate a price reduction with the manufacturer. Then it would be possible to expand the circle of recipients. The National Health Service has the right to include the drug in the list of reimbursable medications without additional assessment by the Latvian Medicines Agency if the treatment becomes cheaper. The same medications that are already on the list could also be used for new diagnoses," noted the Health Ministry representative.
Another option is to find funds by revising expenses for other medications specifically for patients with sarcoidosis.
