ArticleBMC pulmonary medicine2017
Access to affordable medicines and diagnostic tests for asthma and COPD in sub Saharan Africa: the Ugandan perspective.
Article in BMC pulmonary medicine, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 26 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
26 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 58 citations in OpenAlex.
- The availability, cost, and affordability of essential medicines for asthma and COPD in low-income and middle-income countries: a systematic review.The Lancet. Global health · 2022Pooled it
- Performance of alternative COPD case-finding tools: a systematic review and meta-analysis.European respiratory review : an official journal of the European Respiratory Society · 2021Pooled it
- Improving asthma case detection among children and adolescents through clinic-based screening in primary care health facilities in Uganda: a cluster randomised trial.BMJ open respiratory research · 2026Trial
- Reliability and usability of a portable spirometer compared to a laboratory spirometer.BMC pulmonary medicine · 2025Trial
- Availability and Costs of Allergic Rhinitis Treatments Across the World: A Survey of ARIA Experts.Allergy · 2026Article
- Childhood asthma in Uganda: experiences of healthcare providers and caregivers in diagnosis and management. A FRESH AIR qualitative study.NPJ primary care respiratory medicine · 2026Article
- South African Thoracic Society position statement on asthma in children, adolescents and adults.African journal of thoracic and critical care medicine · 2026Article
- Exploring factors affecting access to non-communicable disease medicines in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review.BMJ public health · 2026Article
- Prices, availability, and affordability of selected medicines for asthma management in Nigeria: a nationwide study.BMC health services research · 2025Article
- Article
- Catastrophic health expenditure, social protection coverage, and financial coping strategies in adults with symptoms of chronic respiratory diseases in Kenya: a cross-sectional study.The Lancet. Global health · 2025Article
- Chronic respiratory disease observatory for Africa (CHEST-Africa): study protocol for the prevalence, determinants and economic impacts of asthma and COPD in Africa.BMJ open respiratory research · 2024Article
- Characteristics and phenotypes of a COPD cohort from referral hospital clinics in Uganda.BMJ open respiratory research · 2024Article
- Implication of the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease 2023 report for resource-limited settings: tracing the G in the GOLD.The European respiratory journal · 2023Article
- Challenges in the diagnosis of asthma in children, what are the solutions? A scoping review of 3 countries in sub Saharan Africa.Respiratory research · 2022Article
- Article
- The environmental impact of inhaled therapy: making informed treatment choices.The European respiratory journal · 2022Review
- Medication availability and economic barriers to adherence in asthma and COPD patients in low-resource settings.NPJ primary care respiratory medicine · 2022Article
- Availability, affordability and access to essential medications for asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in three low- and middle-income country settings.PLOS global public health · 2022Article
- Diagnostics and monitoring tools for noncommunicable diseases: a missing component in the global response.Globalization and health · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
9 authors at 5 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundEquitable access to affordable medicines and diagnostic tests is an integral component of optimal clinical care of patients with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In Uganda, we lack contemporary data about the availability, cost and affordability of medicines and diagnostic tests essential in asthma and COPD management.
methodsData on the availability, cost and affordability of 17 medicines and 2 diagnostic tests essential in asthma and COPD management were collected from 22 public hospitals, 23 private and 85 private pharmacies. The percentage of the available medicines and diagnostic tests, the median retail price of the lowest priced generic brand and affordability in terms of the number of days' wages it would cost the least paid public servant were analysed.
resultsThe availability of inhaled short acting beta agonists (SABA), oral leukotriene receptor antagonists (LTRA), inhaled LABA-ICS combinations and inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) in all the study sites was 75%, 60.8%, 46.9% and 45.4% respectively. None of the study sites had inhaled long acting anti muscarinic agents (LAMA) and inhaled long acting beta agonist (LABA)-LAMA combinations. Spirometry and peak flow-metry as diagnostic tests were available in 24.4% and 6.7% of the study sites respectively. Affordability ranged from 2.2 days' wages for inhaled salbutamol to 17.1 days' wages for formoterol/budesonide inhalers and 27.8 days' wages for spirometry.
conclusionMedicines and diagnostic tests essential in asthma and COPD care are not widely available in Uganda and remain largely unaffordable. Strategies to improve access to affordable asthma and COPD medicines and diagnostic tests should be implemented in Uganda.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.