Crossing barriers: the burden of inflammatory bowel disease across Western Europe.

An estimated 2.5-3 million individuals (0.4%) in Europe are affected by inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Whilst incidence rates for IBD are stabilising across Europe, the prevalence is rising and subsequently resulting in a significant cost to the healthcare system of an estimated 4.6-5.6 billion euros per year. Hospitalisation and surgical resection rates are generally on a downward trend, which is contrary to the rising cost of novel medication. This signifies a large part of healthcare cost and burden. Despite publicly funded healthcare systems in most European countries, there is still wide variation in how patients receive and/or pay for biologic medication. This review will provide an overview and discuss the different healthcare systems within Western Europe and the barriers that affect overall management of a changing IBD landscape, including differences to hospitalisation and surgical rates, access to medication and clinical trial participation and recruitment. This review will also discuss the importance of standardising IBD management to attain high-quality care for all patients with IBD.
Competing Interests: MJB has received grants and travel expenses from Vifor International and Tillotts Pharma, outside of the submitted work. BG has served as a speaker for AbbVie, Janssen, Takeda and Galapagos and has worked as an advisor for AbbVie and Galapagos. BV has received research support from AbbVie, Biora Therapeutics, Landos, Pfizer, Sosei Heptares and Takeda. He has received speaker’s fees from AbbVie, Biogen, Bristol Myers Squibb, Celltrion, Chiesi, Falk, Ferring, Galapagos, Janssen, MSD, Pfizer, R-Biopharm, Takeda, Truvion and Viatris. He also received consultancy fees from AbbVie, Alimentiv, Applied Strategic, Atheneum, Biora Therapeutics, Bristol Myers Squibb, Galapagos, Guidepont, Mylan, Inotrem, Ipsos, Janssen, Pfizer, Progenity, Sandoz, Sosei Heptares, Takeda, Tillotts Pharma and Viatris. DB is on the advisory board or consultant for AbbVie, Amgen, Arena, Atheneum, BNG Service GmbH, Bristol Myers Squibb, CED-Service GmbH, Celltrion, Doctorflix, DGVS, Diaplan, Else Kröner-Fresenius Foundation, Falk Foundation, Galapagos, Gastro Today, Guidepoint, Impulze, Ferring, Janssen Cilag, Lilly, Medical Tribune, MedTriX, MSD, Mylan, Onkowissen, Pharmacosmos, Pfizer, Roche, Sandoz, Takeda, Tetrameros, Thieme, Tillotts Pharma, UCB Biopharma, Viatris and Vifor Pharma. IC-S has received Research Grants/Consultant fees from AbbVie, Bristol Myers Squibb, Janssen, Ferring, Tillotts Pharma, Takeda and Eli Lilly. The rest of the authors do not have anything to declare.
(© The Author(s), 2023.)