Rafael Marcos Gragera
Epidemiologist at the Catalan Institute of Oncology and professor of medicine at the University of Girona
The press release reflects the study accurately, although it reduces to one sentence the section of the conclusions referring to the price of medicines, when it is a very relevant factor.
The sources consulted appear to be those available. The independent variables chosen are sufficient and the Cox regression model is accurate. Thus, the conclusions are based on solid data.
The work fits perfectly with the existing evidence, as research on new drugs is carried out by rich countries. And, on the other hand, access to these drugs by low-income countries is limited and delayed.
The authors have taken into account several variables, although this does not mean that they are confounding factors. An important limitation is that 26.6% of launches are based on regulatory approval, with some countries relying on approval by a non-regulatory agency.
The study shows that there is, in general, a high correlation between purchasing power and health.