The first national report on the consumption of resources and costs related to the management of chronic hyperkalaemia (HK) in Spain, endorsed by the Spanish Society of Nephrology (SEN), was presented a few days ago in society, and shows that The results of the healthcare and economic impact of hyperkalaemia (HK) correspond to the high use of healthcare resources that this disease implies: it is associated with a higher rate of hospitalization (+14%), emergencies (+10%) and hospital visits (+ 52%), as well as a higher risk of mortality from any cause (+68%), with the annual cost per patient with HK in Spain being €4,468, €6,993 and €12,705 in patients with mild, moderate and severe HK, respectively.
This report was presented within the framework of the webinar “Opportunities in the approach to cardiorenal patients in Spain”, organized by the Weber Foundation and Vifor Pharma. A debate that included the participation of experts of recognized prestige in the sector, who offered a comprehensive vision, from different perspectives, regarding the current situation and future challenges in the approach to nephrology and cardiology patients in our country.
So, the doctor. Patricia de Sequera, head of the Nephrology Service at the Infanta Leonor University Hospital, and Dr. Ramón Bover, cardiologist at the San Carlos Clinical Hospital in Madrid, analyzed the most relevant clinical aspects in relation to the management of patients with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) or Heart Failure (HF).
Álvaro Hidalgo, president of the Weber Foundation, explained in detail the methodology and results of the economic analysis of the use of patiromerwhich were presented at the last National Congress of Hospitals and Health Management of the Society of Health Directors (SEDISA) and also commented on by the rest of the experts.
“The data show that the use of patiromer, a potassium chelator, in nephrological or cardiac patients (without double comorbidity), would save 32% of costs, bringing clinical benefits and offsetting the cost of the drug. The report carried out comes to offer arguments to request the modification of the patiromer visa, as it does not have an economic justification and is also the most restrictive in the European Union”, highlighted Dr. De Sequera. From this scientific society, and in collaboration with the National Federation of Associations for the fight once morest kidney diseases (ALCER), they insist that hyperkalaemia is a serious disorder that can increase the mortality of these patients and it is necessary, as a priority, the review of the current patiromer visa, which limits the treatment of this severe electrolyte disturbance to only a sub-group of patients.
Then began the discussion tablemoderated by Pedro Gómez Pajuelo, former deputy director general of Quality of Medicines and Health Products, in which Dr. Jorge Navarro, medical director of the Clinical Hospital of Valencia and Dr. Beatriz Bayés, director of the Clinical Nephrology and Urology Institute of the Hospital Clínic of Barcelona, presented initiatives launched to improve health care such as the Cardio-Renal Units and the improvement of the patient experience.
Together with them, Hidalgo delved in greater detail into the challenges and relaxation of post-pandemic visas: “Visas seem to be an obsolete and ineffective instrument as an element of cost containment, and can generate negative effects by reducing the use of necessary medicines for patients. The pandemic has provided an opportunity to assess the suitability of visas and to be able to check whether their abolition generates greater benefits for patients than the possible cost increases that justify them. Moreover, within the proposals to improve the efficiency of pharmaceutical spending, independent bodies such as the Independent Authority for Fiscal Responsibility (AIReF) do not include visas as a useful tool”.
Finally, the experts concluded that the approach to patients with CKD or HF requires special attention. The new potassium binders improve the treatment of these patients and also allow the maintenance of Renin Angiotensin Aldosterone System (RAAS) inhibitors, contributing to the optimal treatment of patients with CKD or HF. The clinical experience gained with these treatments should allow, increasingly, an updated evaluation that extends their use to all patients who can benefit from these treatments.
For more information, you can access the full report through the following link: www.weber.org.es/publicaciones
