“Early treatment intervention with new technology will not only save lives and improve patients’ quality of life, but it makes longer term financial sense for funders too”, said Janssen South Africa Medical Affairs Director, Dr Moustafa Kamel.
This week Janssen held a disease awareness meeting about psoriasis comorbidities and how early intervention with systemic therapies will help in reducing the risk of latent comorbidity as well as its financial burdens over time.
Kamel believes that a philosophical change in the treatment approach of several conditions could result in a positive outcome for patients’ quality of life and reduce costs.
Said Kamel: “There are several diseases that, if not treated adequately from the very beginning, are going to produce complications that will inevitably increase the cost of the treatment. Consequently, it will place a patient in a precarious position to gain a better outcome medically and in terms of quality of life.” He added that early intervention is a critical step in disease management moving forward.
Kamel cites immune condition, Psoriasis, as an example. He said that the patient pathway and concomitant adequate interventions from the moment of diagnosis can prevent future complications. He said: “The impact of delayed or inadequate treatment could lead to mental health issues like depression and anxiety through to systemic and potentially life-threatening complications.” These include cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension, cancer and inflammatory bowel disease, among other comorbidities. (1)
He said that innovative systemic intervention sooner rather than later, can negate future complications and benefit patient outcomes positively while, simultaneously, providing longer-term financial savings for medical funders.
Kamel said an interventionist approach requires a philosophical and actuarial change in approach from the healthcare sector. He said: “Treatment with the best pharma technology available upfront demands a new approach from health care porfessionals with a concomitant and a different actuarial approach.”
Kamel added: “It is not dissimilar to wellness programmes offered or propagated by many funds, where healthy lifestyles have shown positive impact on patient health and, ergo, financial demand on a scheme. Early intervention follows the same principal. Invest in your patient’s health now and realise greater savings over time.”
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