Institute Report
Medical Dermatology
Increasing awareness and access to care in Latin America: Case studies in atopic dermatitis and alopecia areata
Apr 22, 2022

Web Summary

Skin diseases such as atopic dermatitis and alopecia areata can have a substantial negative impact on a patient by affecting their quality of life (QoL), resulting in a burden to the patients at a physical, psychosocial, and mental level. Awareness and understanding of these diseases have been increasing globally with the introduction of innovative treatments that can address some of the historic unmet needs in this space. However, discussions around these diseases at a healthcare policy level is limited in Latin America. This is primarily driven by a lack of information around the impact of the diseases in a local context, society’s perception of the diseases as being “cosmetic,” type of physical manifestations that are not considered as disabilities, and lack of optimal coverage of innovative treatments.

To better understand the status of these diseases in Latin America, roundtables with experts from various stakeholder groups (payers, patients, caregivers, physicians, and patients advocates) were conducted for four countries: Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico. Based on discussions during these roundtables, this report highlights the understanding of these diseases currently as well as the challenges and barriers to achieving optimal treatment. The report also puts forward key initiatives, such as creating public campaigns, strengthening continuous medical education, implementing value-based agreements with institutions, and integrating patient advocacy efforts into representative coalitions.

Key findings

  • Despite the potential burden of atopic dermatitis and alopecia areata, the lack of local data in Latin America creates barriers to demonstrate the impact they have on patients, caregivers, and society.
  • Skin diseases in the region are minimized by their “cosmetic” label by most public and private institutions, as disease severity is still mostly defined by the degree of disability and may not consider other aspects, such as quality-of-life indicators.
  • Innovative therapies for these conditions could help address some of the unmet needs in the region, along with creating access to these therapies.
  • Due to the importance of addressing the unmet needs that currently exist in the treatment of these conditions, specific country initiatives are needed to increase disease awareness and improve access to the correct treatments for patients with atopic dermatitis and alopecia areata in Latin America.

Other Findings

  • Latin America is a region characterized by low investments in healthcare, which creates disparities in health and treatment coverage.
  • All the countries in scope in this report have implemented universal health coverage (UHC) strategies, however, the overall index of essential coverage is of 76-77%.
  • The average health expenditure per capita of the four countries (US $1,217) is 70% lower than the OECD average, as conveyed in Exhibit 2.
  • Current treatments for atopic dermatitis and alopecia areata include different types of therapies that may present a variety of unmet needs, such as low efficacy, long-term safety problems, or financial burden for patients.
  • Nonetheless, medical dermatology in general has had a limited amount of treatment innovation in the past decades, which may explain why treatment guidelines are non-existent or are not updated frequently, creating barriers for having a standardized therapeutic approach and pushing physicians to rely on outdated sources, potentially causing harm to patients.
  • Institutional payers in the region define treatment coverage mostly based on financial criteria and may not analyze the value to patients in terms of improvements in quality of life.
  • During the roundtables, five common opportunities were identified across the region with an aim to increase the awareness and relevance of the diseases in scope.
  • Some of these initiatives also represent a call to action to be replicated for other medical dermatology conditions.
  • The ways in which these opportunities are carried out varies by country, so it is important to look at each individual country.

Related solutions

Contact Us