Kati Sarnola

Presentation

I am a senior researcher at Kela’s Research Unit. I work as an expert in pharmacy and health economics in pharmaceutical price and substitutability opinion work as well as other expert and research positions. Recently, I have been researching the uptake, cost, life cycle, and availability problems of medicines as well as access to them.

Expertise

• health economics
• reimbursements for medicine expenses
• medicine expenses
• rational pharmacotherapy
• availability of medicines
• pharmaceutical policy and health policy
• research on medicine life cycles

Ongoing research projects

• New Outpatient Cancer Medicines: Reimbursement and Uptake
• Medicine Shortages
• Medicines and the Pharmaceutical Sector in a Changing Environment
• Assessing and Forecasting Morbidity in Adult Population Using the National Health Index
• Expensive Drugs Reimbursed by Health Insurance in Outpatient Pharmacies: Effects of Pharmaceutical Policy Changes on the Retail Distribution of Medicines
• The Extensions of Indications as Part of Cancer Medicines’ Life Cycle
• Finnish Statistics on Medicines

Publications

• Roitto HM, Lindell E, Koskinen S, Sarnola K, Koponen P, Ngandu T: Diagnosoitujen muistisairauksien ilmaantuvuus ja esiintyvyys Suomessa vuosina 2016–2021. Lääketieteellinen Aikakauskirja Duodecim 2024;140(5):411-9, https://www.duodecimlehti.fi/lehti/2024/5/duo18137 
• Pesonen H, Kylmä J, Onnela K, Sarnola K: Harvinaissairautta sairastavien kokemuksia lääkehoidostaan Suomessa: haastattelututkimus. DOSIS 4(39): 422-437, 2023.
• Sarnola K, Koskinen H, Klintrup K, Astrup C, Kurko T: Uptake and availability of outpatient care cancer medicines authorized in 2010-2021 in Nordic countries – Survey for competent authorities. BMC Health Services Research 23, 1437 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-023-10421-x 
• Meijboom RW, Barbier L, Druedahl LC, Sarnola K, Tolonen HM, Gardarsdottir H, Egberts TCG, Giezen TJ: Recommendations on TNFα inhibitor biosimilar use in clinical practice: a comparison of European gastroenterology IBD guidance. Expert Opinion on Biological Therapy 1-17, 2023. DOI: 10.1080/14712598.2023.2189008 
• Sarnola K, Kari H, Koskinen H: Medicine shortages: Product life cycle phases and characteristics of medicines in short supply – a register study. Frontiers in Pharmacology 13:943249, 2022. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2022.943249
• Kari H, Rättö HK, Sarnola K, Jormanainen V, Koskinen H: Väestön ikääntyminen haastaa terveydenhuoltoa myös lääkehoidon toteuttamisessa. Yhteiskuntapolitiikka 5-6/2022. https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi-fe2022112366609
• Kurko T, Koskinen H, Sarnola K: Uusien syöpälääkkeiden kliiniseen näyttöön liittyy epävarmuutta – tutkimusten lukutaito korostuu lääkärin työssä. Lääkärilehti 32(77):1272-74, 2022
• Kaunisto S, Siitonen P, Kauppinen H, Sarnola K: Pharmacists’ perceptions about knowledge of biologic medicines and their interchangeability and pharmacist-led substitution – A pilot survey of Finnish community pharmacists. DOSIS 38:74-101, 2022
• Arnet I, Verbeek M, Almarsdóttir AB, Barbier L, Clifford R, Eickhoff C, Hersberger K, Huys I, Lee K, Saramunee K, Schultz M, Zgarrick D, Sarnola K: Community pharmacists' preparedness for substituting biologics and dispensing biosimilars – Lessons learned from a multinational survey. Exploratory Research in Clinical and Social Pharmacy 2021;4:100084. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rcsop.2021.100084
• Sarnola K, Jauhonen HM: Biosimilaarien käyttöönotto. Lääketieteellinen Aikakauskirja Duodecim 2020;136(2):193-8
• Sarnola K, Merikoski M, Jyrkkä J, Hämeen-Anttila K: Physicians’ perceptions of the uptake of biosimilars: a systematic review. BMJ Open 2020;10:e034183. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2019-034183
• Sarnola K, Linnolahti J: A regulatory perspective on the availability of medicines and medicine shortages in outpatient care: case Finland. International Journal of Clinical Pharmacy 2019;41(4):825–30. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11096-019-00850-2
• Siirola V, Merikoski M, Vainio K, Sarnola K, Hämeen-Anttila K: Diabeetikoiden näkemyksiä ja tiedontarpeita biosimilaari-insuliineista / Patients' perceptions and their need for information about biosimilar insulins in Finland. DOSIS 2019;35(1): 42-56. 
• Sarnola K, Kurttila M, Naaranlahti T, Saano S, Kantanen H: Adapting to Technological Change – Employees’ Experiences on the Uptake of Automated Dispensing Cabinets in Kuopio University Hospital. DOSIS 2019;35(4):338-53
• Sarnola K: Lääkkeiden saatavuus ja saavutettavuus – lääkkeiden saatavuusongelmat Suomessa ja harvinaislääkkeiden saavutettavuus Euroopassa. DOSIS 2018;34(4):304-15
• Sarnola K, Ahonen R, Martikainen JE, Timonen J: Policies and availability of orphan medicines in outpatient care in 24 European countries. European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology 2018;74(6):895-902. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00228-018-2457-x
• Heiskanen K, Ahonen R, Kanerva R, Karttunen P, Timonen J: The reasons behind medicine shortages from the perspective of pharmaceutical companies and pharmaceutical wholesalers in Finland. PLoS One 2017;12(6):e0179479. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0179479
• Heiskanen K, Ahonen R, Karttunen P, Kanerva R, Timonen J: Medicine shortages – A study of community pharmacies in Finland. Health Policy 2015;119(2):232-8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthpol.2014.11.001