Access to Medications for Cardiovascular Diseases in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

Medicines are an essential building block of a functioning health system and represent a substantial part of total health expenditure. The objectives of this review are to give an overview of access to medication for cardiovascular disease (CVD) from a health system perspective and to describe strategies that have been used to promote access, including providing medicines at lower cost, improving medication supply, ensuring medicine quality, promoting appropriate use, and managing intellectual property issues. A comprehensive systematic review is outside the scope of this article. Instead, we summarize key evidence in published and gray literature related to advances in access to cardiovascular medicines using the 5 health system dimensions of access: availability, affordability, accessibility, and acceptability (Table 1).