Drafting
The National Health System (NHS) gave the green light financing from Smokey, by Viatris, for the treatment of allergic rhinitis. With a retail price of €15.61, SNS guarantees greater access to this first-line treatment and helps control nasal and ocular symptoms in people with this disease.
Allergic rhinitis is a pathology that causes inflammation of the nasal mucosa, which is the most common allergic disease in our country. It affects more than 20% of the Spanish population, especially young people, with pollen and dust mites being the most common causes. In this sense, the allergist Dr. Juan Manuel Igea explained thatThe incidence of this type of rhinitis is very high in Western countries due to our lifestyle. The absence of infections, antibiotics, diets or pollution means that the number of allergic diseases increases significantly every year.”
The price of the drug will expand access to this first-line treatment for patients with allergic rhinitis.
In particular, according to the Primary Health Care Clinical Database, the number of allergy sufferers in our country increased by 42% between 2016 and 2021. Thus, studies conducted by Spanish allergists show, as Dr. Igea states, that “Allergic rhinitis is the most commonly reported cause as it is a chronic condition that affects a significant portion of the population.”
In this sense, the Spanish Society of Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery (Seorl) estimates that the global prevalence of allergic rhinitis is between 20 and 40%. This disease is manifested mainly by sneezing, lacrimation, runny nose and partial or complete loss of smell. The factors causing the onset of allergic rhinitis are numerous and are currently under investigation. However, the lifestyle of Western society is one of the main triggers, since limited exposure to allergens present in nature can affect the strength of the immune system and contribute to the development of this pathology. In addition, environmental pollution contributes to the spread of allergens.
The lifestyle of the Western world has negative consequences, especially for people with a genetic predisposition to allergic diseases. These people successively develop various pathologies that build their own atopic march, in which dermatitis often occurs first, followed by allergies to certain foods, rhinitis and, later, asthma.
Seorla estimates that the global prevalence of allergic rhinitis is between 20 and 40%.
The consequences of this type of rhinitis greatly affect our daily lives. According to Dr. Igea, “Quality of life declines much more with allergic rhinitis than with other more serious diseases such as diabetes. The inability to breathe normally during the day, nasal congestion or headache make this disease very unpleasant.”.
Therefore, it is extremely important to apply adequate treatment to stop its development. Concerning this question, Dr. Juan Manuel Igea emphasizes that “if left untreated and the disease progresses, we can have many infectious complications such as bronchitis or sinusitis. We now have very safe and effective drugs to control allergic rhinitis and prevent it from developing into other, more serious conditions such as asthma.”.