The term noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) refers to a group of long-term, chronic conditions that are preventable and treatable. Despite decades of effort, most countries show insufficient progress toward controlling premature mortality from NCDs.1

More than 15 million people between the ages of 30 and 69 years die prematurely from NCDs worldwide, and many of these deaths can be prevented.2

In Europe, NCDs are responsible for 80% of the disease burden and are the leading causes of avoidable premature deaths.3 In recent years, some regions are seeing upward trends in preventable NCD mortality. Ageing is the key factor driving the increasing prevalence of NCDs in high-income countries, as older patients are at higher risk for NCDs. In Europe, the median age of the population in 2017 was 42 years, compared with 29 years globally.4 To effectively care for ageing populations, more must be done to relieve the burden of NCDs.
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“Overall, the current rate of change in NCD trends is insufficient to allow the 2030 SDG targets to be achieved.”

World Health Organization [2020]

COVID-19 Exacerbates NCD Burden

The COVID-19 pandemic created disruptions in essential healthcare services and daily activities worldwide, with a profound impact on people living with NCDs. Diagnosis and treatment reduced drastically, compounding NCD patients’ increased vulnerability to severe COVID-19 illness and death.5 Among NCD patients:

50%

experienced a worsening of their condition.1

17%

developed a new disease.1

52%

reported that long-planned medical consultation or surgeries had been cancelled or rescheduled.1

54%

reported a strong impact on their stress level and state of mind.1

59%

wished to have received additional information regarding the risks associated with their condition.1

Continuing Education for Healthcare Professionals

Ageing populations and the COVID-19 pandemic have created new challenges and complexity for healthcare providers in managing NCDs. The NCD Academy – a joint project by Viatris, the American College of Cardiology, the NCD Alliance, and the World Heart Federation – is a first-of-its-kind collaboration between major players in global health to equip frontline health workers with free education on NCD care as they take on a more prominent role in prevention. The goal of the NCD Academy is to fill the “know-do” gaps by facilitating the provision of comprehensive NCD management by primary care providers and community health workers. Viatris is also working with the European Innovation Partnership to develop a web-based platform for empowering patients to prevent and manage NCDs.
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Improving Therapeutic Adherence

Committee membership:

Only half of patients take their medications as prescribed.6 With several prescriptions, keeping track of when to take which medications can be complicated, particularly for older patients. Therapeutic adherence is essential for effective treatment, and non-adherence leads to additional hospitalizations, lower quality of life, and over 200,000 avoidable deaths a year. In Europe, non-adherence is responsible for €125 billion in excess healthcare spending.7 Achieving better therapeutic adherence saves lives and money, extending limited healthcare resources.

Dose dispensing is one of the easiest and most effective interventions for improving adherence. With this service, patients are provided customized pouches containing all of the medications that they must take at a particular time and date, reducing the chances of mistakes or missed doses. A study of older patients showed adherence improved from 58% to 81% for patients benefiting from dose dispensing.8 An adherence improvement of that magnitude across Europe could save tens of thousands of lives and billions of euros. We urge lawmakers to acknowledge the Therapeutic Adherence Gap as an unmet medical need of patients in Europe and support implementation of dose dispending.

Widespread adoption of adherence support systems such as dose dispensing – which various companies, including Viatris, make available across several European countries - would be one of the most effective interventions to improve patient safety and outcomes, while mitigating health system waste.

  1. Viatris, Creating An Integrated Approach to Noncommunicable Diseases
  2. World Health Organization
  3. European Commission
  4. TB Alliance
  5. Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Patients Affected by Non-Communicable Diseases in Europe and in the USA. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8297015/
  6. Interventions to improve adherence to self-administered medications for chronic diseases in the United States: a systematic review. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22964778/
  7. Khan, R. and K. Socha-Dietrich (2018), “Investing in medication adherence improves health outcomes and health system efficiency: Adherence to medicines for diabetes, hypertension, and hyperlipidaemia”, OECD Health Working Papers, No. 105, OECD Publishing, Paris,12.
  8. Kwint, H.-F., Stolk, G., Faber, A., Gussekloo, J. & Bouvy, M. L. (2013). Medication adherence and knowledge of older patients with and without multidose drug dispensing. Age and ageing, 42(5), 620–626.