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news.A study which was conducted on behalf of the German association of research-based pharmaceutical companies or VFA has revealed that under-treatment of patients has resulted in escalation of healthcare costs in Germany, according to scripnews.com.
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As per the study results that were assessed for a 10-year period, under-treatment of depression led to annual costs of E17.9 billion, of which direct costs made up Euro6.2 billion and indirect costs amounted to Euro11.7 billion. While under-treatment of rheumatoid arthritis cost E6.8 billion annually, osteoporosis cost E3.6 billion. It was also found that under treatment of patients led to mushrooming of healthcare costs through longer hospital stays, rehabilitation, disability, incapacity to work and early retirement.
According to Cornelia Yzer, chief of VFA, the inordinate prescription of drugs by doctors and insufficient allotment of funds (only 6.3% of the money spent on pharmaceuticals goes to innovative medicines) have contributed to the rising healthcare costs in Germany.