Medicines are key to health
June 25, 2012
MEDICINES and vaccines have
played a key role in improving the
nation’s health and keeping people
out of hospital, according to
Medicines Australia.
The comments come on the back
of the release of the AIHW’s latest
national report card on health (PD
Fri), which found that Australians
enjoy one of the highest life
expectancies in the world.
“Continued innovation in
treatments has contributed to
increased cancer survival rates,
lower mortality and hospitalisation
due to heart disease, and higher
quality of life and increased
workforce participation for people
living with conditions such as
arthritis,” said Medicines Australia
chief executive Dr Brendan Shaw.
To illustrate his point, Shaw drew
on key findings in the report, such
as the fact that the mortality rate
for cancer has fallen 23% for males
and 17% for females over the past
two decades.
Shaw also pointed to the fact that
between 1961 and 2009 the death
rate from heart disease fell a
whopping 78%, with an estimated
saving of 156,000 lives in 2009
alone, saying that in 2008, more
than 84 million prescriptions for
medicines to treat heart disease
were supplied to Australians.
Shaw also highlighted the fact
that hospitilisations for COPD for
men aged 55 and over declined 20%
in the past decade, saying that
medicines have played a role in
improving quality of life and
decreasing healthcare use in this
disease area.
The availability of disease-modifying
anti-rheumatic drugs that slow the
progression of the disease has also
contributed to the improvement of
the management of musculoskeletal
conditions, Shaw said.
Despite the report’s good news,
Shaw did warn that Australians
should not be complacent about
future health challenges, saying “the
report noted increasing incidence
of diseases and conditions such as
obesity, diabetes and dementia”.
“These conditions will continue to
provide a considerable challenge to
the health system for years to
come,” he added.
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