Abbott and Association of Physicians of India address medication non-adherence at Abbott’s a:care Congress

Abbott, in collaboration with the Association of Physicians of India (API), recently held the India chapter of the third edition of the a:Congress, one of the largest global educational initiatives focused on medication adherence. This year’s theme, “Adherence is a behaviour. Do we have the right one?” brought international experts in behavioural science and medical fields together to address medication non-adherence, a challenge impacting patient outcomes and health systems worldwide.

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are a growing concern in India, where they account for more than 75 per cent of global NCD-related mortality. Long-term treatment for chronic conditions often presents challenges, with approximately 50 per cent of patients not adhering to prescribed medication and one-third never filling prescriptions. In India, medication adherence is low across all therapies, with the World Health Organization reporting that 62 per cent of people with multiple conditions do not adhere to their medication regimen.

Dr Milind Y. Nadkar, President of API and Dean at KEM Hospital, Mumbai, stated, “The World Health Organization (WHO) emphasises that adherence is a powerful behaviour that can help lessen the health burden more than any medicine innovation. Improving medication non-adherence for better NCD management is one of the key focus areas for API. This collaboration with Abbott’s a:care Congress will further accelerate our efforts in helping doctors better understand the complexities driving non-adherence so that they have the tools they need to help their patients to change their habits.”

Medication non-adherence has significant social and economic impacts, particularly in cardiovascular diseases and hypertension, where non-adherence increases hospital visits and recurrent cardiac events, leading to delays in recovery. Globally, non-adherence costs healthcare systems an estimated $100 billion annually in preventable expenses, representing about 8 per cent of total global health expenditure.

Dr Parag Sheth, Regional Director of Medical Affairs at Abbott India, noted the challenges, saying, “It’s important to understand the reasons behind non-adherence to improve it. Forgetfulness or being busy and high pill burden are some of the most common reasons. Through the a:care Congress, more healthcare professionals can understand how to address these problems with insights on what drives people’s behaviours and how to best support people in leading healthier lives.”

This initiative is grounded in its mission to improve health outcomes by rethinking doctor-patient interactions.This initiative aligns with efforts to reduce healthcare burdens and enhance community health.

The Congress saw 75,000 healthcare professionals, including nearly 50,000 from India, express interest in enhancing medication adherence. For the first time, nurses were also invited to participate, recognising their essential role in supporting patients’ adherence to treatment plans. This broad participation underscores the healthcare sector’s commitment to finding effective solutions to improve patient quality of life.