Ensuring Patient-Centered Access to Cardiovascular Disease Medicines in Low-Income and Middle-Income Countries Through Health-System Strengthening

Abstract

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of global mortality and is expected to reach 23 million deaths by 2030. Eighty percent of CVD deaths occur in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). Although CVD prevention and treatment guidelines are available, translating these into practice is hampered in LMICs by inadequate health care systems that limit access to lifesaving medications. In this review article, we describe the deficiencies in the current LMIC supply chains that limit access to effective CVD medicines, and discuss existing solutions that are translatable to similar settings so as to address these deficiencies.

Keywords: Accountability; Adherence; Availability; Cardiovascular disease medicines; Falsified and substandard medicines; Health-system strengthening; Low-income and middle-income countries; Patient-centered access.