Low Cost IVF
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British scientist Robert Edwards won the Nobel Prize for Medicine today for his part in developing IVF – or in-vitro fertilization. IVF is now a fairly common method of aiding conception – but it’s expensive. Only a small percentage of people around the world can afford it. However there are efforts to develop less costly IVF techniques, and to make fertility treatment more accessible to those in the poorest regions of the world. Dr. Ian Cooke is one of the founders of the Low Cost IVF Foundation, which is based in Switzerland. Lisa Mullins talks with him. Download MP3
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LISA MULLINS: I’m Lisa Mullins and this is The World. British scientist Robert Edwards won the Nobel Prize for Medicine today for his part in developing in-vitro fertilization, of IVF. These days IVF is a fairly common method of aiding conception. But it’s expensive. Only a small percentage of people around the world can afford it. There are efforts now to develop less costly IVF techniques, and to make fertility treatment more accessible to those in the poorest regions of the world. Dr. Ian Cooke is one of the founders of the Low Cost IVF Foundation, which is based in Switzerland. Dr. Cooke, when most people think of the developing world they think of overpopulation, not fertility problems. But tell me what the need is for fertility treatments in areas that we think of right now as being overpopulated and under resourced.
IAN COOKE: Well, thank you for the question. I think there are a number of points. First is that the social impact of infertility in many parts of the world, particularly the developing world, is huge. It leads to social isolation, physical and emotional abuse and ostracism and indeed suicide. Secondly, the proportion in the West is probably about 9% on average, whereas in parts of the developing world, it may be as high as 30% and even higher. So there’s a much greater need. And the final point is that, particularly in rural areas such as Bangladesh, this leads to increasing poverty because husbands will not let wives who are not fertile work. And so they’re even further diminished. So there’s a huge need in many, many parts of the world.
MULLINS: Just very briefly when you talk about the proportion of people who are infertile begin about 9% in the United States or in the West.
COOKE: I think that’s around the West, the whole of the Western world.
MULLINS: And 30% or higher where?
COOKE: Oh, in Africa. This is a particular problem especially in sub-Saharan Africa.
MULLINS: Why is the statistic so different?
COOKE: Two many causes. One is the consequences of illegal abortion and secondly the consequences of infection after pregnancy.
MULLINS: So let me ask you about the cost then. We know it’s expensive here in the United States. Could you tell us on average if you know here, or where you are in Britain right now, how much an average in-vitro fertilization treatment cost assuming it’s successful?
COOKE: You can’t assume that it’s successful. The take home baby rates are probably about 20% for every patient treated. In the UK for example it cost probably $5,000. I think it may be two or three times, or perhaps a higher factor, in the US. We think that the technical side of it without the staff cost could be done for a little as $200 provided we use very cheap drugs taken orally rather than injections and much simpler incubation programs. And because you have the intention of only transferring a single embryo instead of larger numbers, laboratory costs are kept lower.
MULLINS: So have you tried to establish clinics, low cost IVF clinics, in the field in parts of the developing world?
COOKE: Yes, we have and it’s a very difficult task [INDISCERNIBLE] We have tried in Tanzania and we’ve tried in Sudan. There end up being major staffing issues that need to be resolved so we don’t have a long-term functioning clinic although we’ve only been working on this in the last twelve months or so.
MULLINS: What about for those people, for instance, in the UK or here in the United States, who also cannot afford IVF treatment. I mean could it be that what you’re establishing for the developing world, if it’s successful, could one day work here?
COOKE: I think that’s entirely reasonable and we have that objective on the long term. But I think the whole philosophy would be different. In the West people are looking for success as a result of a single cycle. I don’t think the take home baby rates will be as high with the lowest [SOUNDS LIKE] stimulation, but it would also have less impact on the individual that would be much more reasonable to have two or three cycles, say over twelve month period for still very much less cost than that of a single high cost program. And then I think we might be talking about similar success rates.
MULLINS: Alright, Dr. Ian Cooke of the Low Cost IVF Foundation speaking to us from Sheffield, England. Nice to talk to you.
COOKE: Thank you.
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