medwireNews: Patients with rheumatic diseases person reported issues with entree to methotrexate pursuing changes to termination laws, amusement findings from a questionnaire survey conducted successful the USA.
“In precocious doses, methotrexate tin beryllium utilized to dainty miscarriage and ectopic pregnancy,” explained Kristin Wipfler (The National Databank for Rheumatic Diseases, Wichita, Kansas) successful a poster presumption astatine ACR Convergence 2022 successful Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
She said that determination person been immoderate reports of rheumatology patients experiencing barriers to attraction pursuing the US Supreme Court’s determination to overturn Roe versus Wade successful June 2022, but “the scope and severity of this contented is unknown.”
To analyse further, the squad analyzed information from 1706 people (mean property 67.2 years, 84.6% women) with rheumatic diseases – astir commonly rheumatoid arthritis (67.2%), osteoarthritis (12.5%), oregon systemic lupus erythematosus (5.3%) – who responded to a survey connected medicine entree since June 24, 2022. A full of 42.5% of respondents resided successful states with ineligible oregon protected termination status, portion 32.2% were successful states categorized arsenic “hostile/at-risk” and 25.3% were successful states wherever termination is banned oregon severely restricted. Most participants were White (93.3%), with an mean 15.2 years of education.
In all, 396 patients said they had attempted to capable a medicine for methotrexate during the survey period, and 5.8% of these individuals, each of whom were women, reported barriers to access. One further diligent reported restricted entree to hydroxychloroquine.
Of the 24 respondents experiencing medicine entree issues, the bulk (62.5%) said this was owed to delays with the pharmacy filling the prescription, portion 12.5% said that pharmacists asked “excessive questions” astir pregnancy.
The squad past sent follow-up requests to participants who reported problems. Of the 11 people responding to the follow-up, 5 said they were told that their issues with medicine entree were owed to gestation hazard oregon concerns related to the Supreme Court’s determination connected abortion, portion six that that determination was “no wide explanation” for delays oregon refusals, said Wipfler.
“It’s precise important to enactment that respondents to this survey were predominantly highly educated, White, and older than childbearing property and inactive experienced this level of impact,” she stressed.
“The interaction successful higher hazard populations is expected to beryllium much severe.”
The presenter concluded: “Because astir issues experienced were delays by pharmacies successful seeking to corroborate the intent of the prescription, we urge that healthcare providers prescribing abortifacient medications see the patient’s rheumatic diagnosis connected the medicine to trim oregon debar delays.”
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ACR Convergence 2022; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA: November 10–14
English (US)