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Background: Hypertension and type 2 diabetes (T2D) are the most prevalent noncommunicable diseases in Mexico and worldwide. According to international practice management guidelines, the principal chronic management therapy is daily oral medication. Aim: We aim to describe the trends of antihypertensive, antidiabetic, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) drugs use among the Mexican adult population from 2004-2018. Methods: We analyzed data from the Health Workers Cohort Study (HWCS) for males and females aged >18 years. We calculated the prevalence of chronic diseases and utilization for every kind of antihypertensive, antidiabetic, and NSAIDs (measured by self-reported utilization) at baseline and two follow-ups (2004, 2010, and 2017). Trends were analyzed using Fisher's exact test. Results: Hypertension prevalence increased from 19.8 to 30.3%, higher than T2D prevalence from 7.0 to 12.8% through fourteen years of follow-up. Like the self-reported dual therapy, the proportion of patients using beta-blockers and angiotensin II receptor blockers increased. Regarding T2D, the prevalence of metformin utilization increased to 83.9%. The utilization of common NSAIDs, mainly for muscular pain, remained around 13 to 16%. Conclusions: Our findings showed a changing prevalence of drug utilization for hypertension and T2D between 2004 and 2018 and consistent use of NSAIDs in the adult Mexican population.
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BACKGROUND: More alternatives have become available for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer in low- and middle-income countries. Because of increasing demands, governments are now facing a problem of limited affordability and availability of essential cancer medicines. Yet, precise information about the access to these medicines is limited, and the methodology is not very well developed. We assessed the availability and affordability of essential cancer medicines in Mexico, and compared their prices against those in other countries of the region. METHODS: We surveyed 21 public hospitals and 19 private pharmacies in 8 states of Mexico. Data were collected on the availability and prices of 49 essential cancer medicines. Prices were compared against those in Chile, Peru, Brazil, Colombia and PAHO's Strategic Fund. RESULTS: Of the various medicines, mean availability in public and private sector outlets was 61.2 and 67.5%, respectively. In the public sector, medicines covered by the public health insurance "People's Health Insurance" were more available. Only seven (public sector) and five (private sector) out of the 49 medicines were considered affordable. Public sector procurement prices were 41% lower than in other countries of the region. CONCLUSIONS: The availability of essential cancer medicines, in the public and private sector, falls below World Health Organization's 80% target. The affordability remains suboptimal as well. A national health insurance scheme could serve as a mechanism to improve access to cancer medicines in the public sector. Comprehensive pricing policies are warranted to improve the affordability of cancer medicines in the private sector.
Assuntos
Antineoplásicos/economia , Antineoplásicos/provisão & distribuição , Medicamentos Essenciais/economia , Medicamentos Essenciais/provisão & distribuição , Neoplasias/tratamento farmacológico , Comércio/estatística & dados numéricos , Custos e Análise de Custo/estatística & dados numéricos , Hospitais Públicos , Humanos , México , Farmácias , Setor Privado , Setor Público , Inquéritos e QuestionáriosRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Cancer has become the third cause of death in Mexico. Treatment for cancer is often complex and lengthy. New and better medicines enter the market at high prices, which may limit access. Like most Latin American countries, Mexico has an essential cancer medicines list that includes innovative medicines. Their accessibility and use in the public sector remains unknown. Therefore, we describe the use, as a proxy of access, of innovative and essential cancer medicines in the public sector in Mexico, by insurance institution, and by five regions between 2010 to 2016. METHODS: We used drug utilization research methods to assess the use of eight patented cancer medicines. Through the national transparency platform, we obtained data on the quantities of these medicines used in all public health facilities and social health insurance institutions and recalculated those figures into defined daily dose (DDD) per 1000 population per year. RESULTS: Overall, the use of all medicines increased over the years, especially for trastuzumab, rituximab and imatinib. The use of innovative medicines was higher per population covered in social health insurance institutions than in governmental facilities. Throughout the study period, the Central region (including Mexico City) has used more medicines per population than the other regions. CONCLUSIONS: The use and access of some essential innovative cancer medicines has increased over the years, but remains unequal across insurance schemes and regions. Particularly, the Ministry of Health Insurance scheme and Northern and Western regions in the country would benefit from additional efforts to increase access to essential cancer medicines.
RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Depression is among the 10 major causes of disability in Mexico. Yet, local contextual factors associated to the disorder remain poorly understood. We measured the impact of several factors on severe depression such as demographics, pharmacotherapy, multimorbidity, and unhealthy behaviors in Mexican teachers. METHODS: A total of 43,845 Mexican female teachers from 12 Mexican states answered the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ9). Data were part the Mexican Teacher's Cohort prospective study, the largest ongoing cohort study in Latin America. Unadjusted and adjusted estimates assessed the impact of several contextual factors between severe versus mild-no depression cases. RESULTS: In total 7026 teachers (16%) had a PHQ9 score compatible with severe depression. From them, only 17% received psychotropics, compared to 60% for those with a formal diagnosis. Less than 5% of teachers with PHQ9 scores compatible with severe depression had a formal diagnosis. Adjusted analysis reported higher odds of pharmacotherapy, having ≥â¯3 comorbidities, higher levels of couple, family and work stress, fewer hours of vigorous physical activity, higher alcohol consumption, and smoking as risk factors for severe depression. Also, rural residents of northern and center states appeared more severely depressed compared to their urban counterparts. On average, the PHQ9 scores differed by ~ 10 points between severe and mild-no depressed teachers. LIMITATIONS: A cross-sectional design. Also, the study focused on female teachers between ages 25 and 74 years old, reducing the generalizability of the estimates. CONCLUSION: Under-diagnosis of clinical depression in Mexican teachers is concerning. Unhealthy behavior is associated with severe depression. The information collected in this study represents an opportunity to build prevention mechanisms of depression in high-risk subgroups of female educators and warrants improving access to mental care in Mexico.