Polish medical innovation has seen improvements, yet significant challenges remain, according to the latest Access GAP data, with access to innovative therapies and diagnostics increasing.
“Compared to the Visegrad countries, Poland has improved its score in terms of access to innovative therapies, but we are still behind the Czech Republic and Slovakia, and only Hungary has a worse score than us,” Michał Byliniak, Director-General of The Employers’ Union of Innovative Pharmaceutical Companies (INFARMA), told Euractiv.
The Access GAP report, now in its third edition, highlights the varying degrees of progress among V4 countries. While all countries have seen improvements, the Czech Republic remains the leader with a score of 69 points, followed by Slovakia at 61 points.
Poland’s score of 58 points marks a significant improvement from its initial score of 42 points in 2022, but the country remains behind its neighbours in terms of overall accessibility.
Hungary, although trailing with a score of 56 points, has demonstrated the most substantial improvement over the past year.
The primary barriers across the V4 countries include strict reimbursement restrictions and long delays from drug registration to reimbursement. On average, patients in V4 countries wait 1029 days for access to new, life-saving drugs, with Polish patients facing the longest wait time of 3.2 years, compared to 2.2 years in the Czech Republic.
Innovations in oncology and rare diseases
The Access GAP data reveals that Poland has made significant progress in the availability of innovative therapies for cancer and rare diseases.
The country’s oncology score increased from 61 to 67 points, while the score for rare diseases rose from 57 to 64 points. The most notable improvements were observed in treatments for cystic fibrosis, breast cancer, and prostate cancer.
For instance, the cystic fibrosis access gap was reduced by 11.5 points, reflecting the impact of administrative barriers on patient access to new therapies. Similarly, the score for breast cancer improved by nearly 11 points due to an increase in reimbursed therapies and better access to advanced diagnostics.
However, these improvements are tempered by the reality that the process of integrating these therapies into regular clinical practice can be slow.
Even after a reimbursement decision, there can be significant delays before patients actually benefit from these innovations, as seen in the case of cystic fibrosis, where new treatments approved in early 2022 only began showing substantial patient impact this year.
Chronic diseases challenges remain
While there has been progress in some areas, chronic diseases remain a pressing challenge. The improvement in the chronic disease category was minimal, with diabetes and Parkinson’s disease showing particularly concerning trends.
The diabetes score saw a slight increase from 31.8 to 34.3 points, while Parkinson’s disease remained stagnant at 23 points. In Poland, the list of innovative drugs for diabetes awaiting reimbursement is still very long.
Nearly 90% of the latest drugs are not publicly funded, and the waiting time for reimbursement is measured in years, with some medicines waiting almost 2,000 days.
Agnieszka Grzybowska-Zalewska, President of the Association of Employers of Innovative Pharmaceutical Companies (INFARMA), emphasised during a 15 May press conference that the Access GAP data reflects an improvement in access to innovative drugs for Polish patients, particularly in oncology and rare diseases.
These areas have been prioritised due to significant gaps that need addressing. However, she stressed the importance of not neglecting chronic diseases, which pose an increasing challenge due to ageing populations in Poland and across the European Union.
“Chronic diseases also increasingly affect younger, working-age individuals, with nearly 3 million people in Poland suffering from diabetes alone,” she told Euractiv.
“Improved access to modern medications leads to more effective treatment, reduced risk of severe complications, and fewer sick leaves, which ultimately enhances both the quality of life for patients and the efficiency of the healthcare system, contributing to the growth of the Polish economy,” she added.
The findings indicate that it is crucial to accelerate and broaden the availability of innovative therapies. This would enhance treatment effectiveness, reduce the risk of severe complications, improve the quality and longevity of life for patients, and increase the quality and efficiency of the healthcare system.
[By Paulina Mozolewska, Edited by Vasiliki Angouridi, Brian Maguire | Euractiv’s Advocacy Lab]