Increased availability of drugs is correlated with the number of patients diagnosed thereafter: Data analysis of 45 intractable diseases. (7th May 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Oka, Toshiya; Narukawa, Mamoru
• Is Part Of: Journal of clinical pharmacy and therapeutics. Volume 46:Number 5(2021)
• Page Start: 1319
• Page End: 1325
• Publication Date: 2021-05-07
• Subjects: intractable disease -- number of articles -- number of drugs -- number of patients; Clinical pharmacology -- Periodicals; Chemotherapy -- Periodicals; 615
• DOI: 10.1111/jcpt.13434
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0269-4727

Abstract

Abstract: What is known: Estimates of the prevalence of diseases can be affected by non‐biological factors such as change in diagnostic criteria and change in awareness of the diseases. The launch of a new drug is a potential contributory factor to the estimated prevalence of the target disease, but there appears to be no reports on this possible relationship. Objective: To investigate the relationship between the change in the number of patients diagnosed and factors such as the number of drugs indicated and the number of relevant scientific articles, focused on 45 intractable diseases in Japan. Methods: The number of patients with 1 of 45 intractable diseases from 2004 to 2013 was collected from publicly available data. The number of drugs indicated, the number of scientific articles, and diagnostic and certificate criteria for the disease were collected from publicly available sources from 2004 to 2013. Using these data, the correlation coefficient was calculated, and linear regression analyses were performed. Results and discussion: The rate of increase in the number of drugs and the increase rate of the number of articles were found to be associated with an increase in the number of patients from 2004 to 2013. Linear regression analysis showed that the increase rate of the number of drugs available (2004–2008) was a statistically significant factor correlated with the rate of increase in the number of patients diagnosed in the following period (2009–2013). However, the increase rate of the number of patients (2004–2008) was not associated with the rate of increase in the number of drugs (2009–2013). One possible reason as to why the number of new drugs was correlated with the patient diagnosis numbers thereafter was proposed to be due to an increased awareness of diseases among physicians. What is new and conclusion: This is the first study to investigate the relationship between the number of new drugs and the number of patients diagnosed based on data from multiple diseases. The investigation of data on 45 intractable diseases in Japan indicated that the increased availability of drugs was correlated with the increase in the number of patients in the future. Abstract : The rate of increase in the number of drugs and the increase rate of the number of articles were found to be associated with an increase in the number of patients based on data from intractable diseases. Linear regression analysis showed that the increase rate of the number of drugs available was a statistically significant factor correlated with the rate of increase in the number of patients diagnosed thereafter.