In Norway, over 800,000 Norwegians have migraines, according to calculations from NTNU. Migraine patients in Norway take a long time to get the treatment they need. This means that many people become ill and away from work or school for a long time. Sigrun Refsnes is 16 years old and has had migraines for much of her youth. – You would like to be as healthy as others and take part in many activities and be at school every day. But I haven’t had that freedom to the same extent. Sigrun Refsnes is 16 years old and has had migraines for much of her youth. Sigrun is chronically ill and has headaches or migraines at least 15 days a month, and she has had it for many years. – I very often get dizzy. Gets very little energy. I fall asleep the minute I lie down, because the body needs more energy all the time. It has taken a long time for Sigrun Refsnes to get a diagnosis and the right medicine. – Going around for three years and not finding something that works is quite frustrating, and you almost lose a bit of hope. Sigrun Refsnes hopes the illness will eventually enable her to become an even more active youth politician in Unge Høre. Sigrun has now received a medicine that works for her. – Being able to go to school, work, go on holiday or buy dinner at Kiwi, like everyone else, depends on those medicines. More and more people are away from work and school Migraine is increasingly costly for society. According to Nav, the expenditure on sickness benefits and work verification benefits for migraine patients increased by 283 million in one year. In that case, the expenses for disability benefits are not included. Social economist Erik Magnus Sæther at Oslo Economics believes that one must look at the total costs for society, not just the costs of medicines. Long test regimen Many migraine patients go a long time without getting help, says Sæther, Many migraine patients go a long time without getting help, says social economist Erik Magnus Sæther at Oslo Economics Photo: Oslo Economics / Oslo Economics – The disease has been underdiagnosed. Therefore, there are many who may have it, without having received a definite diagnosis. There has been limited treatment to offer, which is why this group has received poor follow-up and non-specific diagnoses. New medicines have now arrived that give hope to more people. Since the most effective drugs are very expensive, patients must test out cheaper drugs first. According to Helfo, three different types will be tested over three months. It takes a total of nine months. If none of these works for the patients who have chronic migraine, the doctor can apply to have the costs of the new effective medicines covered. The new medicine enables the patients to function almost normally. says neurologist at Oslo University Hospital and NTNU Anne Hege Aamot. Photo: UiO Photographer Øystein Horgmo / Øystein Horgmo, UiO But the medicines to be tested are not designed for migraine patients. According to calculations from NTNU, around 100,000 have chronic migraine. – None of the old medicines that can be used in women and men of childbearing age have a documented effect on chronic migraines, only on episodic ones. Nevertheless, patients with chronic migraine must use these before an application for reimbursement for effective treatment can be submitted, says neurologist at Oslo University Hospital Anne Hege Aamodt. – As is known, it is more effective and not least cheaper to prevent disease than to introduce measures after it has become chronic. It is not profitable to save The reason why these medicines must be tested first is that in some cases they work and that it thus saves society many millions of kroner. State Secretary Karl Kristian Bekeng (Ap) says it must be profitable for society to give out expensive medicines Photo: Truls Alnes Antonsen / news State Secretary Karl Kristian Bekeng in the Ministry of Health and Welfare writes to news that it must be profitable for society to spend money on expensive medicines. Therefore, one must try the cheapest ones first. The more serious the condition, the more resources are deployed. Sæther believes the state saves far less than it believes. – The patients have to go through a long test regime. It takes a long time, and very often it turns out that the old medicines do not work. This means that a year at secondary school, or a year in working life, you have to live with a poorer quality of life than you would have needed, and the costs of not being at your studies, or being away from working life, are significant for this area of treatment. The most effective medicine against migraine is very expensive and last year, according to the Directorate for Medical Products (DMP), 12,696 people received it. DMD will not disclose the real costs of the medicine, because they believe these are confidential agreements with the pharmaceutical company that offers discounts. news therefore only knows the cost before the discount is deducted. The new medication enables the patients to function almost normally. says neurologist at Oslo University Hospital and NTNU Anne Hege Aamot. Photo: UiO Photographer Øystein Horgmo / Øystein Horgmo, UiO The most effective and very expensive medicine has CGRP inhibitors. – In chronic migraine, botulinum toxin and CGRP inhibitors have a documented effect. These medicines are preventive and reduce disease activity in migraines and produce fewer attacks. So says neurologist at Oslo University Hospital and NTNU Anne Hege Aamodt. – Some get so well that they get rid of the attacks, while others need treatment for longer periods. Could have saved millions Sæther believes large sums could have been saved by giving more people the new medicine. – From a societal economic point of view, the other costs are significantly higher. Both the costs of not being able to follow the teaching, not participating in working life with production, and the transfer to the Nav system. Chair of the health and care committee at the Storting, Tone Wilhelmsen Trøen (H), believes that price should not count alone when new medicines are to be approved. Head of the health and care committee in the Storting, Tone Wilhelmsen Trøen (H) believes that price should not count alone Photo: Hans Kristian Thorbjoernsen / Hans Kristian Thorbjoernsen – I am calling for an absolutely necessary debate on whether we should consider to a greater extent how much it costs that people are sick, because we do not invest in medicines that could counteract this. Sigrun Refsnes, who is both a migraine patient and a member of Unge Høyre, believes that the politicians must take responsibility – I think it is really important that you should be allowed to go on the medicines and get the treatment that works for you, and not what works for the government’s wallet. – It is actually not my problem that the medicine that works for my body is more expensive than the budget they had drawn up. Precisely because health is so individual, but I believe that you should always prioritize it, even if it is expensive. Do you have health tips? Hi! Is there something you think I should know and look into? Contact me. I write about pregnant women, mothers’ bodies, abortion and much more. I would like to listen to you. Regards, Marianne Published 09/07/2024, at 21.40 Updated 09.07.2024, at 21.41
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Migraine patients cost society hundreds of millions
