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Project
Equitable access to quality-assured health products. Trends, challenges and barriers for non-communicable diseases, taking the example of diabetes related medicine and technologies.
Non-communicable diseases (NCDs), such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes, represent a serious global health concern. They have been identified as the leading cause of death and disability worldwide (1) causing an estimated 41 million deaths every year, equivalent to 74% of all disease-related deaths globally (2). The issue of improving access to medicines and health products for the diagnosis, management and treatment of NCDs is multifaceted and part of a broader challenge, particularly in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs) where the burden of NCDs is rising rapidly. Essential medicines for conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, chronic respiratory diseases, and mental health are often inaccessible due to high prices, weak healthcare systems, and inadequate supply chains. Limited availability of affordable, quality-assured NCD medicines and technologies exacerbates health inequalities, making it difficult for vulnerable populations to receive timely treatment and management of their conditions, ultimately leading to higher rates of morbidity and mortality (3).
Taking the example of insulin, despite its discovery almost 100 years ago (1921), very little has been done to address the issue of access. This medicine is still not readily available to many globally, mainly due to its unattainability, inaccessibility and unaffordability (4). Diabetes and insulin are chosen as a tracer condition and medicine in this proposal. The reasoning is that it has relevance for other NCDs conditions and currently, approximately 6% of the world’s population, more than 420 million people, live with either type 1 or type 2 diabetes. This number is estimated to rise to 578 million by 2030 and to 700 million by 2045 (5). And diabetes is among the top 10 causes of death worldwide (6), which could strength the national responses to NCDs, more generally.
Taking the example of insulin, despite its discovery almost 100 years ago (1921), very little has been done to address the issue of access. This medicine is still not readily available to many globally, mainly due to its unattainability, inaccessibility and unaffordability (4). Diabetes and insulin are chosen as a tracer condition and medicine in this proposal. The reasoning is that it has relevance for other NCDs conditions and currently, approximately 6% of the world’s population, more than 420 million people, live with either type 1 or type 2 diabetes. This number is estimated to rise to 578 million by 2030 and to 700 million by 2045 (5). And diabetes is among the top 10 causes of death worldwide (6), which could strength the national responses to NCDs, more generally.
Date:15 Oct 2025 → Today
Disciplines:Public health sciences not elsewhere classified
Project type:PhD project