Breast cancer, eye disease to drain $180b from 11 APAC economies

Published: 26 minutes ago Photo by Kmpzzz via Magnific Breast cancer, eye disease to drain $180b from 11 APAC economies The region's health systems have limited capacity to absorb the strain.

HER2-positive breast cancer and two retinal diseases will cost 11 Asia-Pacific economies an estimated $180b in lost productivity over the decade to 2027, a study found.

According to research by the WifOR Institute, the retinal conditions are neovascular age-related macular degeneration and diabetic macular oedema.

The findings were highlighted in a recent World Economic Forum report. The annual cost of each condition is projected to rise by close to a third between 2023 and 2027.

A separate survey of more than 4,300 adults over 40 across eight Asia-Pacific markets found that 46% expected vision loss to limit their ability to keep working.