- It would be worthwhile to expand the indications and simplify the path to get into the drug program. These elements are also reported to us by patients themselves. They say that they suffer from depression, nothing helps them, but for some reason they cannot get into this program. So the change in the inclusion criteria will definitely benefit patients," said Urszula Szybowicz, president of the Nie Widać Po Mnie Foundation, in an interview with Medexpress during the Economic Forum in Karpacz.
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Ursula Szybowicz: Changing the inclusion criteria for the drug program would benefit patients with drug-resistant depression
Published Sept. 16, 2024 10:01
If we are talking about drug-resistant depression, what scale of the problem are we dealing with?
We estimate that as many as 30 percent of patients struggling with depression may suffer from drug-resistant depression. So we are talking about up to a million patients in Poland. Thanks to the fact that we now have a drug program, there is hope for these patients.
How has access to treatment changed the patient's perspective?
Until now, there has been no drug program in psychiatry and no new molecules to help patients either. Indeed, the program has increased the availability of the drug. However, there is still a lack of awareness among patients, including when and where to go for help. Unfortunately, medical staff also do not always know when and how to report a patient to this drug program.
What other challenges are involved in optimizing this program?
It would be worthwhile to expand the indications and simplify the path to get into the drug program. These elements are also reported to us by patients themselves. They say that they suffer from depression, nothing helps them, but for some reason they cannot get into this program. So changing the inclusion criteria will definitely benefit patients.
