Exploring differences in inpatient drug purchasing cost between two pediatric hospitals.

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Nydert, Per; Poole, Robert

2012-10-01

In this study, the hospital cost of purchasing drugs at two children's hospitals is explored with respect to high-cost drugs and drug classes and discussed with regard to differences in hospital setting, drug price, or number of treatments. The purchasing costs of drugs at the two hospitals were retrieved and analyzed. All information was connected to the Anatomic Therapeutic Chemical code and compared in a Microsoft Access database. The 6-month drug purchasing costs at Astrid Lindgren Children's Hospital (ALCH), Stockholm, Sweden, and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford (LPCH), Palo Alto, California, are similar and result in a cost per patient day of US $149 and US $136, respectively. The hospital setting and choice of drug products are factors that influence the drug cost in product-specific ways. Several problems are highlighted when only drug costs are compared between hospitals. For example, the comparison does not take into account the amount of waste, risk of adverse drug events, local dosing strategies, disease prevalence, and national drug-pricing models. The difference in cost per inpatient day at ALCH may indicate that cost could be redistributed in Sweden to support pediatric pharmacy services. Also, when introducing new therapies seen at the comparison hospital, it may be possible to extrapolate the estimated increase in cost.

Market power and state costs of HIV/AIDS drugs.

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Leibowitz, Arleen A; Sood, Neeraj

2007-03-01

We examine whether U.S. states can use their market power to reduce the costs of supplying prescription drugs to uninsured and underinsured persons with HIV through a public program, the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP). Among states that purchase drugs from manufacturers and distribute them directly to clients, those that purchase a greater volume pay lower average costs per prescription. Among states depending on retail pharmacies to distribute drugs and then claiming rebates from manufacturers, those that contract with smaller numbers of pharmacy networks have lower average costs. Average costs per prescription do not differ between the two purchase methods.

Multiple drug cost containment policies in Michigan's Medicaid program saved money overall, although some increased costs.

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Kibicho, Jennifer; Pinkerton, Steven D

2012-04-01

Michigan's Medicaid program implemented four cost containment policies--preferred drug lists, joint and multistate purchasing arrangements, and maximum allowable cost--during 2002-04. The goal was to control growth of drug spending for beneficiaries who were enrolled in both Medicaid and Medicare and taking antihypertensive or antihyperlipidemic prescription drugs. We analyzed the impact of each policy while holding the effect of all other policies constant. Preferred drug lists increased both preferred and generic drugs' market share and reduced daily cost--the cost per day for each prescription provided to a beneficiary. In contrast, the maximum allowable cost policy increased daily cost and was the only policy that did not generate cost savings. The joint and multistate arrangements did not affect daily cost. Despite these policy trade-offs, the cumulative effect was a 10 percent decrease in daily cost and a total cost savings of $46,195 per year. Our findings suggest that policy makers need to evaluate the impact of multiple policies aimed at restraining drug spending, and further evaluate the policy trade-offs, to ensure that scarce public dollars achieve the greatest return for money spent.

A drug cost model for injuries due to road traffic accidents.

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Riewpaiboon A

2008-03-01

Full Text Available Objective: This study aimed to develop a drug cost model for injuries due to road traffic accidents for patients receiving treatment at a regional hospital in Thailand. Methods: The study was designed as a retrospective, descriptive analysis. The cases were all from road traffic accidents receiving treatment at a public regional hospital in the fiscal year 2004. Results: Three thousand seven hundred and twenty-three road accident patients were included in the study. The mean drug cost per case was USD18.20 (SD=73.49, median=2.36. The fitted drug cost model had an adjusted R2 of 0.449. The positive significant predictor variables of drug costs were prolonged length of stay, age over 30 years old, male, Universal Health Coverage Scheme, time of accident during 18:00-24:00 o’clock, and motorcycle comparing to bus. To forecast the drug budget for 2006, there were two approaches identified, the mean drug cost and the predicted average drug cost. The predicted average drug cost was calculated based on the forecasted values of statistically significant (p<0.05 predictor variables included in the fitted model; predicted total drug cost was USD44,334. Alternatively, based on the mean cost, predicted total drug cost in 2006 was USD63,408. This was 43% higher than the figure based on the predicted cost approach.Conclusions: The planned budget of drug cost based on the mean cost and predicted average cost were meaningfully different. The application of a predicted average cost model could result in a more accurate budget planning than that of a mean statistic approach.

The social cost of drugs in France in 2010.

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Kopp, Pierre; Ogrodnik, Marysia

2017-09-01

The social cost of drugs is the monetary cost of both the consequences of their trade and their consumption. In this paper, drugs considered are tobacco and alcohol, which are legal, plus those that are illegal. The social cost is the sum of the external cost: value of loss in quality of life, value of years of life lost and value of loss in productivity, plus public expenditure. Public expenditure consists of public spending on medical care, prevention, and law enforcement, minus savings from unpaid pensions and taxes levied on tobacco and alcohol. The parameters for the calculations have used the recommendations of a French governmental working group (2013) Quinet, L'évaluation socioéconomique des investissements publics [Internet], Centre d'Analyse Stratégique, 2013, http://www.strategie.gouv.fr/sites/strategie.gouv.fr/files/archives/CGSP_Evaluation_socioeconomique_17092013.pdf , and the health data were derived from the scientific literature. The social costs are €122 billion for tobacco, €118 billion for alcohol, and €8.7 billion for illegal drugs. The largest fraction of the costs (53, 56, and 31 %, respectively) derives from the number of deaths, 79,000 for tobacco, 49,000 for alcohol, and 1600 for illegal drugs, given the high cost of a year of life lost (€115,000). The external cost corresponds to 86, 97, and 68 % of the social cost, respectively, for tobacco, alcohol, and illegal drugs. The annual drug-related net expenditure represents €13.9, €3.0, and €2.3 billion, respectively, for tobacco, alcohol, and illegal drugs. The tax revenues on tobacco and alcohol, €10.4 and €3.2 billion, represent less than half of the corresponding healthcare costs, which are €25.9 and €7.7 billion.

Patents associated with high-cost drugs in Australia.

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Andrew F Christie

Full Text Available Australia, like most countries, faces high and rapidly-rising drug costs. There are longstanding concerns about pharmaceutical companies inappropriately extending their monopoly position by "evergreening" blockbuster drugs, through misuse of the patent system. There is, however, very little empirical information about this behaviour. We fill the gap by analysing all of the patents associated with 15 of the costliest drugs in Australia over the last 20 years. Specifically, we search the patent register to identify all the granted patents that cover the active pharmaceutical ingredient of the high-cost drugs. Then, we classify the patents by type, and identify their owners. We find a mean of 49 patents associated with each drug. Three-quarters of these patents are owned by companies other than the drug's originator. Surprisingly, the majority of all patents are owned by companies that do not have a record of developing top-selling drugs. Our findings show that a multitude of players seek monopoly control over innovations to blockbuster drugs. Consequently, attempts to control drug costs by mitigating misuse of the patent system are likely to miss the mark if they focus only on the patenting activities of originators.

Patents associated with high-cost drugs in Australia.

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Christie, Andrew F; Dent, Chris; McIntyre, Peter; Wilson, Lachlan; Studdert, David M

2013-01-01

Australia, like most countries, faces high and rapidly-rising drug costs. There are longstanding concerns about pharmaceutical companies inappropriately extending their monopoly position by "evergreening" blockbuster drugs, through misuse of the patent system. There is, however, very little empirical information about this behaviour. We fill the gap by analysing all of the patents associated with 15 of the costliest drugs in Australia over the last 20 years. Specifically, we search the patent register to identify all the granted patents that cover the active pharmaceutical ingredient of the high-cost drugs. Then, we classify the patents by type, and identify their owners. We find a mean of 49 patents associated with each drug. Three-quarters of these patents are owned by companies other than the drug's originator. Surprisingly, the majority of all patents are owned by companies that do not have a record of developing top-selling drugs. Our findings show that a multitude of players seek monopoly control over innovations to blockbuster drugs. Consequently, attempts to control drug costs by mitigating misuse of the patent system are likely to miss the mark if they focus only on the patenting activities of originators.

Patient access to new cancer drugs in the United States and Australia.

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Wilson, Andrew; Cohen, Joshua

2011-01-01

In light of the current debate on the use value and potential impact of comparative effectiveness research on patient access, it may prove insightful to compare a health-care system that systematically bases its reimbursement decisions on comparative effectiveness evidence with the United States (US) system that hitherto has only been informed by such evidence on an ad hoc basis. For a set of 2000-2009 approved new molecular entities and biologics indicated for cancer, we compared patient access between US Medicare and Australian Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) beneficiaries. Here, access is defined in terms of marketing availability, payer coverage, and patient out-of-pocket costs. Although 34 drugs and biologics were approved for cancer in the US, just more than one-third (35%) were ultimately covered by the Australian PBS. The PBS also placed more restrictions on use. On the other hand, prices and patient out-of-pocket costs were greater for the US Medicare population. Our analysis points to a possible trade-off in market access to oncology drugs. Although more oncology drugs are available in the US and a higher percentage of available drugs are covered, the evidence-based approach adopted by Australia has contributed to reduced prices, thereby improving affordability for payers and patients for those medications deemed cost-effective by the reimbursement authority. Copyright © 2011 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Modeling good research practices--overview: a report of the ISPOR-SMDM Modeling Good Research Practices Task Force--1.

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Caro, J Jaime; Briggs, Andrew H; Siebert, Uwe; Kuntz, Karen M

2012-01-01

Models--mathematical frameworks that facilitate estimation of the consequences of health care decisions--have become essential tools for health technology assessment. Evolution of the methods since the first ISPOR Modeling Task Force reported in 2003 has led to a new Task Force, jointly convened with the Society for Medical Decision Making, and this series of seven articles presents the updated recommendations for best practices in conceptualizing models; implementing state-transition approaches, discrete event simulations, or dynamic transmission models; and dealing with uncertainty and validating and reporting models transparently. This overview article introduces the work of the Task Force, provides all the recommendations, and discusses some quandaries that require further elucidation. The audience for these articles includes those who build models, stakeholders who utilize their results, and, indeed, anyone concerned with the use of models to support decision making. Copyright © 2012 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

What is known about the cost-effectiveness of orphan drugs? Evidence from cost-utility analyses.

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Picavet, E; Cassiman, D; Simoens, S

2015-06-01

In times of financial and economic hardship, governments are looking to contain pharmaceutical expenditure by focusing on cost-effective drugs. Because of their high prices and difficulties in demonstrating effectiveness in small patient populations, orphan drugs are often perceived as not able to meet traditional reimbursement threshold value for money. The aim of this study was to provide an overview of the available evidence on the cost-effectiveness of orphan drugs. All orphan drugs listed as authorized on the website of the European Medicines Agency on 21 November 2013 were included in the analysis. Cost-utility analyses (CUAs) were identified by searching the Tufts Medical Center Cost-Effectiveness Analysis Registry and Embase. For each CUA, a number of variables were collected. The search identified 23 articles on the Tufts registry and 167 articles on Embase. The final analysis included 45 CUAs and 61 incremental cost-utility ratios (ICURs) for 19 orphan drugs. Of all ICURS, 16·3% were related to dominant drugs (i.e. more effective and less expensive than the comparator), 70·5% were related to drugs that are more effective, but at a higher cost, and 13·1% were related to dominated drugs (i.e. less effective and more expensive than the comparator). The median overall ICUR was €40 242 per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) with a minimum ICUR of €6311/QALY and a maximum ICUR of €974,917/QALY. This study demonstrates that orphan drugs can meet traditional reimbursement thresholds. Considering a threshold of £30,000/QALY, in this study, ten (52·6%) of a total of 19 orphan drugs for which data were available meet the threshold. As much as fifteen orphan drugs (78·9%) are eligible for reimbursement if a threshold of €80,000/QALY is considered. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Cost-effectiveness analysis of microdose clinical trials in drug development.

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Yamane, Naoe; Igarashi, Ataru; Kusama, Makiko; Maeda, Kazuya; Ikeda, Toshihiko; Sugiyama, Yuichi

2013-01-01

Microdose (MD) clinical trials have been introduced to obtain human pharmacokinetic data early in drug development. Here we assessed the cost-effectiveness of microdose integrated drug development in a hypothetical model, as there was no such quantitative research that weighed the additional effectiveness against the additional time and/or cost. First, we calculated the cost and effectiveness (i.e., success rate) of 3 types of MD integrated drug development strategies: liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, accelerator mass spectrometry, and positron emission tomography. Then, we analyzed the cost-effectiveness of 9 hypothetical scenarios where 100 drug candidates entering into a non-clinical toxicity study were selected by different methods as the conventional scenario without MD. In the base-case, where 70 drug candidates were selected without MD and 30 selected evenly by one of the three MD methods, incremental cost-effectiveness ratio per one additional drug approved was JPY 12.7 billion (US$ 0.159 billion), whereas the average cost-effectiveness ratio of the conventional strategy was JPY 24.4 billion, which we set as a threshold. Integrating MD in the conventional drug development was cost-effective in this model. This quantitative analytical model which allows various modifications according to each company's conditions, would be helpful for guiding decisions early in clinical development.

Health plan utilization and costs of specialty drugs within 4 chronic conditions.

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Gleason, Patrick P; Alexander, G Caleb; Starner, Catherine I; Ritter, Stephen T; Van Houten, Holly K; Gunderson, Brent W; Shah, Nilay D

2013-09-01

Drugs are most typically defined as specialty because they are expensive; however, other criteria used to define a drug as specialty include biologic drugs, the need to inject or infuse the drug, the requirement for special handling, or drug availability only via a limited distribution network. Specialty drugs play an increasingly important role in the treatment of chronic conditions such as multiple sclerosis (MS), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), psoriasis, and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), yet little is known regarding the comprehensive medical and pharmacy benefit utilization and cost trends for these conditions. To describe MS, RA, psoriasis, and IBD trends for condition prevalence, treatment with specialty drugs, specialty costs, nonspecialty costs, and total direct costs of care within the medical and pharmacy benefits. This was a descriptive analysis of a commercially insured population made up of 1 million members, using integrated medical and pharmacy administrative claims data from 2008 to 2010. Analyses were limited to continuously enrolled commercially insured individuals less than 65 years of age. Condition-specific cohorts for MS, RA, psoriasis, and IBD were defined using standardized criteria. Trends in condition prevalence, specialty drug use for the conditions, and direct total cost of care were analyzed. The direct costs were subcategorized into the following: medical benefit specialty drug costs, medical benefit all other costs, pharmacy benefit specialty drug costs, and pharmacy benefit all other costs. Trends and compound annual growth rates were calculated for the total cost of care and subcategory costs from 2008 through 2010. Condition prevalence ranged from a low of 1,720 per million members for MS to a high of 4,489 per million members for RA. Psoriasis and MS condition prevalence rates were unchanged over the 3 years; however, IBD prevalence increased 7.0%, and RA prevalence increased 9.7%. The rate of specialty drug use was lowest for IBD

Cost-Utility Analysis of Depot Atypical Antipsychotics for Chronic Schizophrenia in Croatia.

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Jukic, Vlado; Jakovljevic, Miro; Filipcic, Igor; Herceg, Miroslav; Silic, Ante; Tomljanovic, Tatjana; Zilbershtein, Roman; Jensen, Rasmus C D; Hemels, Michiel E H; Einarson, Thomas R

As a nation with a developing economy, Croatia is faced with making choices between pharmaceutical products, including depot injectable antipsychotics. We conducted a pharmacoeconomic analysis to determine the cost-effectiveness of atypical depots in Croatia. A 1-year decision-analytic framework modeled drug use. We determined the average direct cost to the Croatian Institute for Health Insurance of using depot formulations of paliperidone palmitate long-acting injectable (PP-LAI), risperidone LAI (RIS-LAI), or olanzapine LAI (OLZ-LAI). An expert panel plus literature-derived clinical rates populated the core model, along with costs adjusted to 2012 by using the Croatian consumer price index. Clinical outcomes included quality-adjusted life-years, hospitalization rates, emergency room treatment rates, and relapse days. Robustness of results was examined with one-way sensitivity analyses on important inputs; overall, all inputs were varied over 10,000 simulations in a Monte Carlo analysis. Costs (quality-adjusted life-years) per patient were €5061 (0.817) for PP-LAI, €5168 (0.807) for RIS-LAI, and €6410 (0.812) for OLZ-LAI. PP-LAI had the fewest relapse days, emergency room visits, and hospitalizations. Results were sensitive against RIS-LAI with respect to drug costs and adherence rates, but were generally robust overall, dominating OLZ-LAI in 77.3% and RIS-LAI in 56.8% of the simulations. PP-LAI dominated the other drugs because it had the lowest cost and best clinical outcomes. Compared with depots of olanzapine and risperidone and oral olanzapine, PP-LAI was the cost-effective atypical LAI for treating chronic schizophrenia in Croatia. Using depot paliperidone in place of either olanzapine or risperidone would reduce the overall costs of caring for these patients. Copyright © 2013, International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc.

Hospital costs of nosocomial multi-drug resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa acquisition.

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Morales, Eva; Cots, Francesc; Sala, Maria; Comas, Mercè; Belvis, Francesc; Riu, Marta; Salvadó, Margarita; Grau, Santiago; Horcajada, Juan P; Montero, Maria Milagro; Castells, Xavier

2012-05-23

We aimed to assess the hospital economic costs of nosocomial multi-drug resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa acquisition. A retrospective study of all hospital admissions between January 1, 2005, and December 31, 2006 was carried out in a 420-bed, urban, tertiary-care teaching hospital in Barcelona (Spain). All patients with a first positive clinical culture for P. aeruginosa more than 48 h after admission were included. Patient and hospitalization characteristics were collected from hospital and microbiology laboratory computerized records. According to antibiotic susceptibility, isolates were classified as non-resistant, resistant and multi-drug resistant. Cost estimation was based on a full-costing cost accounting system and on the criteria of clinical Activity-Based Costing methods. Multivariate analyses were performed using generalized linear models of log-transformed costs. Cost estimations were available for 402 nosocomial incident P. aeruginosa positive cultures. Their distribution by antibiotic susceptibility pattern was 37.1% non-resistant, 29.6% resistant and 33.3% multi-drug resistant. The total mean economic cost per admission of patients with multi-drug resistant P. aeruginosa strains was higher than that for non-resistant strains (15,265 vs. 4,933 Euros). In multivariate analysis, resistant and multi-drug resistant strains were independently predictive of an increased hospital total cost in compared with non-resistant strains (the incremental increase in total hospital cost was more than 1.37-fold and 1.77-fold that for non-resistant strains, respectively). P. aeruginosa multi-drug resistance independently predicted higher hospital costs with a more than 70% increase per admission compared with non-resistant strains. Prevention of the nosocomial emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistant microorganisms is essential to limit the strong economic impact.

Conjoint analysis applications in health--a checklist: a report of the ISPOR Good Research Practices for Conjoint Analysis Task Force.

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Bridges, John F P; Hauber, A Brett; Marshall, Deborah; Lloyd, Andrew; Prosser, Lisa A; Regier, Dean A; Johnson, F Reed; Mauskopf, Josephine

2011-06-01

The application of conjoint analysis (including discrete-choice experiments and other multiattribute stated-preference methods) in health has increased rapidly over the past decade. A wider acceptance of these methods is limited by an absence of consensus-based methodological standards. The International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) Good Research Practices for Conjoint Analysis Task Force was established to identify good research practices for conjoint-analysis applications in health. The task force met regularly to identify the important steps in a conjoint analysis, to discuss good research practices for conjoint analysis, and to develop and refine the key criteria for identifying good research practices. ISPOR members contributed to this process through an extensive consultation process. A final consensus meeting was held to revise the article using these comments, and those of a number of international reviewers. Task force findings are presented as a 10-item checklist covering: 1) research question; 2) attributes and levels; 3) construction of tasks; 4) experimental design; 5) preference elicitation; 6) instrument design; 7) data-collection plan; 8) statistical analyses; 9) results and conclusions; and 10) study presentation. A primary question relating to each of the 10 items is posed, and three sub-questions examine finer issues within items. Although the checklist should not be interpreted as endorsing any specific methodological approach to conjoint analysis, it can facilitate future training activities and discussions of good research practices for the application of conjoint-analysis methods in health care studies. Copyright © 2011 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Drug Reimbursement Decision-Making System in Iran.

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Ansaripour, Amir; Uyl-de Groot, Carin A; Steenhoek, Adri; Redekop, William K

2014-05-01

Previous studies of health policies in Iran have not focused exclusively on the drug reimbursement process. The aim of this study was to describe the entire drug reimbursement process and the stakeholders, and discuss issues faced by policymakers. Review of documents describing the administrative rules and directives of stakeholders, supplemented by published statistics and interviews with experts and policymakers. Iran has a systematic process for the assessment, appraisal, and judgment of drug reimbursements. The two most important organizations in this process are the Food and Drug Organization, which considers clinical effectiveness, safety, and economic issues, and the Supreme Council of Health Insurance, which considers various criteria, including budget impact and cost-effectiveness. Ultimately, the Iranian Cabinet approves a drug and recommends its use to all health insurance organizations. Reimbursed drugs account for about 53.5% of all available drugs and 77.3% of drug expenditures. Despite its strengths, the system faces various issues, including conflicting stakeholder aims, lengthy decision-making duration, limited access to decision-making details, and rigidity in the assessment process. The Iranian drug reimbursement system uses decision-making criteria and a structured approach similar to those in other countries. Important shortcomings in the system include out-of-pocket contributions due to lengthy decision making, lack of transparency, and conflicting interests among stakeholders. Iranian policymakers should consider a number of ways to remedy these problems, such as case studies of individual drugs and closer examination of experiences in other countries. Copyright © 2014 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Reducing patient drug acquisition costs can lower diabetes health claims.

Science.gov (United States)

Mahoney, John J

2005-08-01

Concerned about rising prevalence and costs of diabetes among its employees, Pitney Bowes Inc recently revamped its drug benefit design to synergize with ongoing efforts in its disease management and patient education programs. Specifically, based on a predictive model showing that low medication adherence was linked to subsequent increases in healthcare costs in patients with diabetes, the company shifted all diabetes drugs and devices from tier 2 or 3 formulary status to tier 1. The rationale was that reducing patient out-of-pocket costs would eliminate financial barriers to preventive care, and thereby increase adherence, reduce costly complications, and slow the overall rate of rising healthcare costs. This single change in pharmaceutical benefit design immediately made critical brand-name drugs available to most Pitney Bowes employees and their covered dependents for 10% coinsurance, the same coinsurance level as for generic drugs, versus the previous cost share of 25% to 50%. After 2 to 3 years, preliminary results in plan participants with diabetes indicate that medication possession rates have increased significantly, use of fixed-combination drugs has increased (possibly related to easier adherence), average total pharmacy costs have decreased by 7%, and emergency department visits have decreased by 26%. Hospital admission rates, although increasing slightly, remain below the demographically adjusted Medstat benchmark. Overall direct healthcare costs per plan participant with diabetes decreased by 6%. In addition, the rate of increase in overall per-plan-participant health costs at Pitney Bowes has slowed markedly, with net per-plan-participant costs in 2003 at about 4000 dollars per year versus 6500 dollars for the industry benchmark. This recent moderation in overall corporate health costs may be related to these strategic changes in drug benefit design for diabetes, asthma, and hypertension and also to ongoing enhancements in the company's disease

Hospital costs of nosocomial multi-drug resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa acquisition

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Morales Eva

2012-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background We aimed to assess the hospital economic costs of nosocomial multi-drug resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa acquisition. Methods A retrospective study of all hospital admissions between January 1, 2005, and December 31, 2006 was carried out in a 420-bed, urban, tertiary-care teaching hospital in Barcelona (Spain. All patients with a first positive clinical culture for P. aeruginosa more than 48 h after admission were included. Patient and hospitalization characteristics were collected from hospital and microbiology laboratory computerized records. According to antibiotic susceptibility, isolates were classified as non-resistant, resistant and multi-drug resistant. Cost estimation was based on a full-costing cost accounting system and on the criteria of clinical Activity-Based Costing methods. Multivariate analyses were performed using generalized linear models of log-transformed costs. Results Cost estimations were available for 402 nosocomial incident P. aeruginosa positive cultures. Their distribution by antibiotic susceptibility pattern was 37.1% non-resistant, 29.6% resistant and 33.3% multi-drug resistant. The total mean economic cost per admission of patients with multi-drug resistant P. aeruginosa strains was higher than that for non-resistant strains (15,265 vs. 4,933 Euros. In multivariate analysis, resistant and multi-drug resistant strains were independently predictive of an increased hospital total cost in compared with non-resistant strains (the incremental increase in total hospital cost was more than 1.37-fold and 1.77-fold that for non-resistant strains, respectively. Conclusions P. aeruginosa multi-drug resistance independently predicted higher hospital costs with a more than 70% increase per admission compared with non-resistant strains. Prevention of the nosocomial emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistant microorganisms is essential to limit the strong economic impact.

Recommendations on evidence needed to support measurement equivalence between electronic and paper-based patient-reported outcome (PRO) measures: ISPOR ePRO Good Research Practices Task Force report.

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Coons, Stephen Joel; Gwaltney, Chad J; Hays, Ron D; Lundy, J Jason; Sloan, Jeff A; Revicki, Dennis A; Lenderking, William R; Cella, David; Basch, Ethan

2009-06-01

Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) are the consequences of disease and/or its treatment as reported by the patient. The importance of PRO measures in clinical trials for new drugs, biological agents, and devices was underscored by the release of the US Food and Drug Administration's draft guidance for industry titled "Patient-Reported Outcome Measures: Use in Medical Product Development to Support Labeling Claims." The intent of the guidance was to describe how the FDA will evaluate the appropriateness and adequacy of PRO measures used as effectiveness end points in clinical trials. In response to the expressed need of ISPOR members for further clarification of several aspects of the draft guidance, ISPOR's Health Science Policy Council created three task forces, one of which was charged with addressing the implications of the draft guidance for the collection of PRO data using electronic data capture modes of administration (ePRO). The objective of this report is to present recommendations from ISPOR's ePRO Good Research Practices Task Force regarding the evidence necessary to support the comparability, or measurement equivalence, of ePROs to the paper-based PRO measures from which they were adapted. The task force was composed of the leadership team of ISPOR's ePRO Working Group and members of another group (i.e., ePRO Consensus Development Working Group) that had already begun to develop recommendations regarding ePRO good research practices. The resulting task force membership reflected a broad array of backgrounds, perspectives, and expertise that enriched the development of this report. The prior work became the starting point for the Task Force report. A subset of the task force members became the writing team that prepared subsequent iterations of the report that were distributed to the full task force for review and feedback. In addition, review beyond the task force was sought and obtained. Along with a presentation and discussion period at an ISPOR meeting

Consolidated Health Economic Evaluation Reporting Standards (CHEERS)--explanation and elaboration: a report of the ISPOR Health Economic Evaluation Publication Guidelines Good Reporting Practices Task Force.

Science.gov (United States)

Husereau, Don; Drummond, Michael; Petrou, Stavros; Carswell, Chris; Moher, David; Greenberg, Dan; Augustovski, Federico; Briggs, Andrew H; Mauskopf, Josephine; Loder, Elizabeth

2013-01-01

Economic evaluations of health interventions pose a particular challenge for reporting because substantial information must be conveyed to allow scrutiny of study findings. Despite a growth in published reports, existing reporting guidelines are not widely adopted. There is also a need to consolidate and update existing guidelines and promote their use in a user-friendly manner. A checklist is one way to help authors, editors, and peer reviewers use guidelines to improve reporting. The task force's overall goal was to provide recommendations to optimize the reporting of health economic evaluations. The Consolidated Health Economic Evaluation Reporting Standards (CHEERS) statement is an attempt to consolidate and update previous health economic evaluation guidelines into one current, useful reporting guidance. The CHEERS Elaboration and Explanation Report of the ISPOR Health Economic Evaluation Publication Guidelines Good Reporting Practices Task Force facilitates the use of the CHEERS statement by providing examples and explanations for each recommendation. The primary audiences for the CHEERS statement are researchers reporting economic evaluations and the editors and peer reviewers assessing them for publication. The need for new reporting guidance was identified by a survey of medical editors. Previously published checklists or guidance documents related to reporting economic evaluations were identified from a systematic review and subsequent survey of task force members. A list of possible items from these efforts was created. A two-round, modified Delphi Panel with representatives from academia, clinical practice, industry, and government, as well as the editorial community, was used to identify a minimum set of items important for reporting from the larger list. Out of 44 candidate items, 24 items and accompanying recommendations were developed, with some specific recommendations for single study-based and model-based economic evaluations. The final

Challenges in Measuring Cost and Value in Oncology: Making It Personal.

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Yu, Peter P

2016-01-01

Oncology patients often find themselves facing an incurable disease with limited treatment options and increasing patient fragility. The importance of patient preferences and values increases in shared decision making especially when the cost of cancer care is continuing its steep rise. As our understanding of cancer systems biology increases, we are justifiably optimistic about therapeutic improvements but recognize that this has complicated the traditional Food and Drug Administration approval of drug indications based on organ-specific cancer for a particular drug. Dynamic and agile clinical guidelines that reflect a rapidly changing knowledge base for decision-making support are needed. The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) has been working on three initiatives to tackle these complex issues. The first initiative is ASCO's collaboration with other international organizations to create a framework to assess drugs for the World Health Organization's Essential Medicines List, including nongenerics. The second initiative aims to define clinically meaningful outcomes as precision medicine expands the definition of cancers, leading to increased demand for the use of targeted drugs as single agents or in combination. The third initiative is ASCO's value framework, published in 2015, focusing on patient-physician shared decision making. The framework incorporates three parameters: 1) the meaningfulness of the clinical benefit, 2) the toxicity of the treatment, and 3) the patient's financial out-of-pocket cost. ASCO is concerned about the rising cost of cancer care when the clinical complexity and the pace of change in oncology are accelerating, and it is committed to help improve patient outcomes and value in cancer care as well as to engage the broader health care community in a process of collaborative improvement. Copyright © 2016 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Relative costs of anesthesiologist prepared, hospital pharmacy prepared and outsourced anesthesia drugs.

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Jelacic, Srdjan; Craddick, Karen; Nair, Bala G; Bounthavong, Mark; Yeung, Kai; Kusulos, Dolly; Knutson, Jennifer A; Somani, Shabir; Bowdle, Andrew

2017-02-01

Anesthesia drugs can be prepared by anesthesia providers, hospital pharmacies or outsourcing facilities. The decision whether to outsource all or some anesthesia drugs is challenging since the costs associated with different anesthesia drug preparation methods remain poorly described. The costs associated with preparation of 8 commonly used anesthesia drugs were analyzed using a budget impact analysis for 4 different syringe preparation strategies: (1) all drugs prepared by anesthesiologist, (2) drugs prepared by anesthesiologist and hospital pharmacy, (3) drugs prepared by anesthesiologist and outsourcing facility, and (4) all drugs prepared by outsourcing facility. A strategy combining anesthesiologist and hospital pharmacy prepared drugs was associated with the lowest estimated annual cost in the base-case budget impact analysis with an annual cost of $225 592, which was lower than other strategies by a margin of greater than $86 000. A combination of anesthesiologist and hospital pharmacy prepared drugs resulted in the lowest annual cost in the budget impact analysis. However, the cost of drugs prepared by an outsourcing facility maybe lower if the capital investment needed for the establishment and maintenance of the US Pharmacopeial Convention Chapter compliant facility is included in the budget impact analysis. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Evidence on the cost of breast cancer drugs is required for rational decision making.

Science.gov (United States)

Berghuis, Anne Margreet Sofie; Koffijberg, Hendrik; Terstappen, Leonardus Wendelinus Mathias Marie; Sleijfer, Stefan; IJzerman, Maarten Joost

2018-01-01

For rational decision making, assessing the cost-effectiveness and budget impact of new drugs and comparing the costs of drugs already on the market is required. In addition to value frameworks, such as the American Society of Clinical Oncology Value Framework and the European Society of Medical Oncology-Magnitude of Clinical benefit Scale, this also requires a transparent overview of actual drug prices. While list prices are available, evidence on treatment cost is not. This paper aims to synthesise evidence on the reimbursement and costs of high-cost breast cancer drugs in The Netherlands (NL). A literature review was performed to identify currently reimbursed breast cancer drugs in the NL. Treatment costs were determined by multiplying list prices with the average length of treatment and dosing schedule. Comparing list prices to the estimated treatment cost resulted in substantial differences in the ranking of costliness of the drugs. The average mean treatment length was unknown for 11/31 breast cancer drugs (26.2%). The differences in the 15 highest-cost drugs were largest for Bevacizumab, Lapatinib and everolimus, with list prices of €541, €158, €1,168 and estimated treatment cost of €174,400, €18,682 and €31,207, respectively. The lowest-cost (patented) targeted drug is €1,818 more expensive than the highest-cost (off-patent) generic drug according to the estimated drug treatment cost. A lack of evidence on the reimbursement and cost of high-cost breast cancer drugs complicates rapid and transparent evidence synthesis, necessary to focus strategies aiming to limit the increasing healthcare costs. Interestingly, the findings show that off-patent generics (such as paclitaxel or doxorubicin), although substantially cheaper than patented drugs, are still relatively costly. Extending standardisation and increasing European and national regulations on presenting information on costs per cancer drug is highly recommended.

Patented drug extension strategies on healthcare spending: a cost-evaluation analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Vernaz, Nathalie; Haller, Guy; Girardin, François; Huttner, Benedikt; Combescure, Christophe; Dayer, Pierre; Muscionico, Daniel; Salomon, Jean-Luc; Bonnabry, Pascal

2013-01-01

Drug manufacturers have developed "evergreening" strategies to compete with generic medication after patent termination. These include marketing of slightly modified follow-on drugs. We aimed to estimate the financial impact of these drugs on overall healthcare costs and also to examine the impact of listing these drugs in hospital restrictive drug formularies (RDFs) on the healthcare system as a whole ("spillover effect"). We used hospital and community pharmacy invoice office data in the Swiss canton of Geneva to calculate utilisation of eight follow-on drugs in defined daily doses between 2000 and 2008. "Extra costs" were calculated for three different scenarios assuming replacement with the corresponding generic equivalent for prescriptions of (1) all brand (i.e., initially patented) drugs, (2) all follow-on drugs, or (3) brand and follow-on drugs. To examine the financial spillover effect we calculated a monthly follow-on drug market share in defined daily doses for medications prescribed by hospital physicians but dispensed in community pharmacies, in comparison to drugs prescribed by non-hospital physicians in the community. Estimated "extra costs" over the study period were €15.9 (95% CI 15.5; 16.2) million for scenario 1, €14.4 (95% CI 14.1; 14.7) million for scenario 2, and €30.3 (95% CI 29.8; 30.8) million for scenario 3. The impact of strictly switching all patients using proton-pump inhibitors to esomeprazole at admission resulted in a spillover "extra cost" of €330,300 (95% CI 276,100; 383,800), whereas strictly switching to generic cetirizine resulted in savings of €7,700 (95% CI 4,100; 11,100). Overall we estimated that the RDF resulted in "extra costs" of €503,600 (95% CI 444,500; 563,100). Evergreening strategies have been successful in maintaining market share in Geneva, offsetting competition by generics and cost containment policies. Hospitals may be contributing to increased overall healthcare costs by listing follow-on drugs in

[The costs of new drugs compared to current standard treatment].

Science.gov (United States)

Ujeyl, Mariam; Schlegel, Claudia; Gundert-Remy, Ursula

2013-01-01

Until AMNOG came into effect Germany had free pricing of new drugs. Our exemplary work investigates the costs of new drugs that were licensed in the two years prior to AMNOG, and compares them to the costs of standard treatment that has been used in pivotal trials. Also, the important components of pharmaceutical prices will be illustrated. We retrospectively analysed the European Public Assessment Reports of proprietary medicinal products that the European Medicinal Agency initially approved in 2009 and 2010 and that were tested against an active control in at least one pivotal trial. If the standard treatment was a generic, the average pharmacy retail price of new drugs was 7.4 times (median 7.1) higher than that of standard treatment. If the standard treatment was an originator drug the average price was 1.4 times (median 1.2) higher than that of the new drug. There was no clear correlation of an increase in costs for new drugs and their "grade of innovation" as rated according to the criteria of Fricke. Our study shows that prices of new drugs must be linked to the evidence of comparative benefit; since German drug pricing is complex, cost saving effects obtained thereby will depend on a range of other rules and decisions. Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier GmbH.

Systematic review of drug administration costs and implications for biopharmaceutical manufacturing.

Science.gov (United States)

Tetteh, Ebenezer; Morris, Stephen

2013-10-01

The acquisition costs of biologic drugs are often considered to be relatively high compared with those of nonbiologics. However, the total costs of delivering these drugs also depend on the cost of administration. Ignoring drug administration costs may distort resource allocation decisions because these affect cost effectiveness. The objectives of this systematic review were to develop a framework of drug administration costs that considers both the costs of physical administration and the associated proximal costs; and, as a case example, to use this framework to evaluate administration costs for biologics within the UK National Health Service (NHS). We reviewed literature that reported estimates of administration costs for biologics within the UK NHS to identify how these costs were quantified and to examine how differences in dosage forms and regimens influenced administration costs. The literature reviewed were identified by searching the Centre for Review and Dissemination Databases (DARE, NHS EED and HTA); EMBASE (The Excerpta Medica Database); MEDLINE (using the OVID interface); Econlit (EBSCO); Tufts Medical Center Cost Effectiveness Analysis (CEA) Registry; and Google Scholar. We identified 4,344 potentially relevant studies, of which 43 studies were selected for this systematic review. We extracted estimates of the administration costs of biologics from these studies. We found evidence of variation in the way that administration costs were measured, and that this affected the magnitude of costs reported, which could then influence cost effectiveness. Our findings suggested that manufacturers of biologic medicines should pay attention to formulation issues and their impact on administration costs, because these affect the total costs of healthcare delivery and cost effectiveness.

Review of Recent US Value Frameworks-A Health Economics Approach: An ISPOR Special Task Force Report [6].

Science.gov (United States)

Willke, Richard J; Neumann, Peter J; Garrison, Louis P; Ramsey, Scott D

2018-02-01

The sixth section of our Special Task Force (STF) report reviews and comments on recent US-oriented value assessment frameworks, specifically those published by the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association, the Institute for Clinical and Economic Research, the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, and the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. We review published commentaries that address the validity, reliability, and conceptual underpinnings of these frameworks. We find common themes of critique regarding the strengths and limitations across frameworks. Particular shortcomings of some frameworks pose greater threats to their face validity and utility compared with others. The most significant limitations include lack of clear perspective (e.g., patient vs. health plan) and poor transparency in accounting for costs and benefits. We then review how each framework adheres to core STF recommendations, with particular emphasis on whether the framework can be used to support coverage decisions by health insurers, and whether it adheres to core principles of cost-effectiveness analysis. The Institute for Clinical and Economic Research framework most closely adheres to core STF recommendations. Others have significant limitations that vary widely from framework to framework. We also review how the frameworks follow STF recommendations for addressing potentially relevant issues beyond cost-effectiveness analysis - for example, equity in resource allocation and patient heterogeneity. Finally, we review whether and how each framework uses value thresholds and addresses affordability concerns. We conclude with suggestions for further research, particularly in the areas of testing the measurement and use of novel elements of value and deliberative processes. Copyright © 2018 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Estimating pharmacy level prescription drug acquisition costs for third-party reimbursement.

Science.gov (United States)

Kreling, D H; Kirk, K W

1986-07-01

Accurate payment for the acquisition costs of drug products dispensed is an important consideration in a third-party prescription drug program. Two alternative methods of estimating these costs among pharmacies were derived and compared. First, pharmacists were surveyed to determine the purchase discounts offered to them by wholesalers. A 10.00% modal and 11.35% mean discount resulted for 73 responding pharmacists. Second, cost-plus percents derived from gross profit margins of wholesalers were calculated and applied to wholesaler product costs to estimate pharmacy level acquisition costs. Cost-plus percents derived from National Median and Southwestern Region wholesaler figures were 9.27% and 10.10%, respectively. A comparison showed the two methods of estimating acquisition costs would result in similar acquisition cost estimates. Adopting a cost-plus estimating approach is recommended because it avoids potential pricing manipulations by wholesalers and manufacturers that would negate improvements in drug product reimbursement accuracy.

Patented drug extension strategies on healthcare spending: a cost-evaluation analysis.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nathalie Vernaz

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Drug manufacturers have developed "evergreening" strategies to compete with generic medication after patent termination. These include marketing of slightly modified follow-on drugs. We aimed to estimate the financial impact of these drugs on overall healthcare costs and also to examine the impact of listing these drugs in hospital restrictive drug formularies (RDFs on the healthcare system as a whole ("spillover effect". METHODS AND FINDINGS: We used hospital and community pharmacy invoice office data in the Swiss canton of Geneva to calculate utilisation of eight follow-on drugs in defined daily doses between 2000 and 2008. "Extra costs" were calculated for three different scenarios assuming replacement with the corresponding generic equivalent for prescriptions of (1 all brand (i.e., initially patented drugs, (2 all follow-on drugs, or (3 brand and follow-on drugs. To examine the financial spillover effect we calculated a monthly follow-on drug market share in defined daily doses for medications prescribed by hospital physicians but dispensed in community pharmacies, in comparison to drugs prescribed by non-hospital physicians in the community. Estimated "extra costs" over the study period were €15.9 (95% CI 15.5; 16.2 million for scenario 1, €14.4 (95% CI 14.1; 14.7 million for scenario 2, and €30.3 (95% CI 29.8; 30.8 million for scenario 3. The impact of strictly switching all patients using proton-pump inhibitors to esomeprazole at admission resulted in a spillover "extra cost" of €330,300 (95% CI 276,100; 383,800, whereas strictly switching to generic cetirizine resulted in savings of €7,700 (95% CI 4,100; 11,100. Overall we estimated that the RDF resulted in "extra costs" of €503,600 (95% CI 444,500; 563,100. CONCLUSIONS: Evergreening strategies have been successful in maintaining market share in Geneva, offsetting competition by generics and cost containment policies. Hospitals may be contributing to increased

[Psychoactive drugs and costs in the Madrid III (Valdemoro) prison].

Science.gov (United States)

Algora-Donoso, I; Varela-González, O

2008-01-01

Annual pharmaceutical expenditures in prisons increases dramatically and the rising costs of psychoactive drugs have especially contributed to this. These drugs are often prescribed in order to find therapeutic uses in the field of personality disorders, addictions, and dysfunctional behaviours that are not included in the authorized indications (compassionate use). This study has enabled a detailed description of the use of psychoactive drugs at the Madrid III prison, a centre with one of the lowest levels of pharmaceutical expenditure in this autonomous community. During a two-week period, all prescriptions of psychoactive drugs were collected and registered along with data of several possible conditioning factors. 20.5% of the population was receiving some kind of psychoactive drug; 76% of those inmates undergoing treatment were receiving one or two substances; 65% were taking anxiolytics, 38% antidepressants and 27% antipsychotics. The total amount of psychoactive drugs consumed was 9,840 defined daily doses, 46% of which were anxiolytics, 17% antidepressants and 14% antipsychotics. The total cost of the fortnight's treatment was euros 5,379 with a saving of euro 611 due to requesting and selecting offers carried out by the pharmacist. 72% of the costs were spent on anti-psychotics and the newer psychoactive drugs, representing 66% of the prescriptions, accounted for 98% of expenditure. The prescriber was one of the key influential factors over the amount, type and cost of the treatments. There are signs that compassionate use of current antipsychotics and antiepileptics, and newer antidepressants are a main cause of the dramatic increase in the costs, with cost-efficiency not always clearly demonstrated. These results are not an isolated fact restricted only to prisons, as demonstrated by consumption data published by the National Health System in the same year.

Financial Impact of Cancer Drug Wastage and Potential Cost Savings From Mitigation Strategies.

Science.gov (United States)

Leung, Caitlyn Y W; Cheung, Matthew C; Charbonneau, Lauren F; Prica, Anca; Ng, Pamela; Chan, Kelvin K W

2017-07-01

Cancer drug wastage occurs when a parenteral drug within a fixed vial is not administered fully to a patient. This study investigated the extent of drug wastage, the financial impact on the hospital budget, and the cost savings associated with current mitigation strategies. We conducted a cross-sectional study in three University of Toronto-affiliated hospitals of various sizes. We recorded the actual amount of drug wasted over a 2-week period while using current mitigation strategies. Single-dose vial cancer drugs with the highest wastage potentials were identified (14 drugs). To calculate the hypothetical drug wastage with no mitigation strategies, we determined how many vials of drugs would be needed to fill a single prescription. The total drug costs over the 2 weeks ranged from $50,257 to $716,983 in the three institutions. With existing mitigation strategies, the actual drug wastage over the 2 weeks ranged from $928 to $5,472, which was approximately 1% to 2% of the total drug costs. In the hypothetical model with no mitigation strategies implemented, the projected drug cost wastage would have been $11,232 to $149,131, which accounted for 16% to 18% of the total drug costs. As a result, the potential annual savings while using current mitigation strategies range from 15% to 17%. The financial impact of drug wastage is substantial. Mitigation strategies lead to substantial cost savings, with the opportunity to reinvest those savings. More research is needed to determine the appropriate methods to minimize risk to patients while using the cost-saving mitigation strategies.

A Health Economics Approach to US Value Assessment Frameworks-Summary and Recommendations of the ISPOR Special Task Force Report [7].

Science.gov (United States)

Garrison, Louis P; Neumann, Peter J; Willke, Richard J; Basu, Anirban; Danzon, Patricia M; Doshi, Jalpa A; Drummond, Michael F; Lakdawalla, Darius N; Pauly, Mark V; Phelps, Charles E; Ramsey, Scott D; Towse, Adrian; Weinstein, Milton C

2018-02-01

This summary section first lists key points from each of the six sections of the report, followed by six key recommendations. The Special Task Force chose to take a health economics approach to the question of whether a health plan should cover and reimburse a specific technology, beginning with the view that the conventional cost-per-quality-adjusted life-year metric has both strengths as a starting point and recognized limitations. This report calls for the development of a more comprehensive economic evaluation that could include novel elements of value (e.g., insurance value and equity) as part of either an "augmented" cost-effectiveness analysis or a multicriteria decision analysis. Given an aggregation of elements to a measure of value, consistent use of a cost-effectiveness threshold can help ensure the maximization of health gain and well-being for a given budget. These decisions can benefit from the use of deliberative processes. The six recommendations are to: 1) be explicit about decision context and perspective in value assessment frameworks; 2) base health plan coverage and reimbursement decisions on an evaluation of the incremental costs and benefits of health care technologies as is provided by cost-effectiveness analysis; 3) develop value thresholds to serve as one important input to help guide coverage and reimbursement decisions; 4) manage budget constraints and affordability on the basis of cost-effectiveness principles; 5) test and consider using structured deliberative processes for health plan coverage and reimbursement decisions; and 6) explore and test novel elements of benefit to improve value measures that reflect the perspectives of both plan members and patients. Copyright © 2018 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Consumers devise drug cost-cutting measures: medical and legal issues to consider.

Science.gov (United States)

Ganguli, Gouranga

2003-01-01

Health care costs in general, and prescription drug costs in particular, are rapidly rising. Between 1996 and 2007 the average annual per capita health care cost is projected to increase from dollar 3,781 to dollar 7,100. [AQ1] The single leading component of health care cost is the cost of prescription drugs (currently 10% of total health care spending, projected to become 18% in 2008). The average cost per drug increased 40% during the 1993-1998 period. Forty-one million Americans have no health insurance, and those who have, have inadequate prescription drug coverage. [AQ2] To cope with this situation, many consumers are trying to economize by doing without the prescriptions or the appropriate doses, buying generics or medicines from Canada or Mexico, or splitting pills of higher doses to take advantage of the pricing policy of drug manufacturers. Some of these approaches are medically and/or legally acceptable, while some are dubious. Most adversely affected are the seniors and poor; for certain groups of seniors prescription drugs account for 30% of their health care spending. The problem must receive prompt concerted attention from consumers, insurers, pharmaceutical companies, and lawmakers before it gets out of hand.

A Systematic Review of the Cost-Effectiveness of Biologics for Ulcerative Colitis.

Science.gov (United States)

Stawowczyk, Ewa; Kawalec, Paweł

2018-04-01

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic autoimmune inflammation of the colon. The condition significantly decreases quality of life and generates a substantial economic burden for healthcare payers, patients and the society in which they live. Some patients require chronic pharmacotherapy, and access to novel biologic drugs might be crucial for long-term remission. The analyses of cost-effectiveness for biologic drugs are necessary to assess their efficiency and provide the best available drugs to patients. Our aim was to collect and assess the quality of economic analyses carried out for biologic agents used in the treatment of UC, as well as to summarize evidence on the drivers of cost-effectiveness and evaluate the transferability and generalizability of conclusions. A systematic database review was conducted using MEDLINE (via PubMed), EMBASE, Cost-Effectiveness Analysis Registry and CRD0. Both authors independently reviewed the identified articles to determine their eligibility for final review. Hand searching of references in collected papers was also performed to find any relevant articles. The reporting quality of economic analyses included was evaluated by two reviewers using the International Society of Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) Consolidated Health Economic Evaluation Reporting Standards (CHEERS) statement checklist. We reviewed the sensitivity analyses in cost-effectiveness analyses to identify the variables that may have changed the conclusions of the study. Key drivers of cost-effectiveness were selected by identifying uncertain parameters that caused the highest change of the results of the analyses compared with base-case results. Of the 576 identified records, 87 were excluded as duplicates and 16 studies were included in the final review; evaluations for Canada, the UK and Poland were mostly performed. The majority of the evaluations revealed were performed for infliximab (approximately 75% of total volume); however, some

Prescription drugs: issues of cost, coverage, and quality.

Science.gov (United States)

Copeland, C

1999-04-01

This Issue Brief closely examines expenditures on prescription drugs, and discusses their potential to substitute for other types of health care services. In addition, it describes employer coverage of prescription drugs, direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription drugs, and potential legislation affecting the prescription drug market. Prescription drug expenditures grew at double-digit rates during almost every year since 1980, accelerating to 14.1 percent in 1997. In contrast, total national health expenditures, hospital service expenditures, and physician service expenditures growth rates decreased from approximately 13 percent in 1980 to less than 5 percent in 1997. Private insurance payments for prescription drugs increased 17.7 percent in 1997, after growing 22.1 percent in 1995 and 18.3 percent in 1996. This growth in prescription drug payments compares with 4 percent or less overall annual growth in private insurance payments for each of those three years. From 1993 to 1997, the overwhelming majority of the increases in expenditures on prescription drugs were attributable to increased volume, mix, and availability of pharmaceutical products. In 1997, these factors accounted for more than 80 percent of the growth in prescription drug expenditures. A leading explanation for the sharp growth in drug expenditures is that prescription drugs are a substitute for other forms of health care. While it is difficult to determine the extent to which this substitution occurs, various studies have associated cost savings with the use of pharmaceutical products in treating specific diseases. Evidence suggests that more appropriate utilization of prescription drugs has the potential to lower total expenditures and improve the quality of care. Also, some studies indicate the U.S. health care system needs to improve the way patients use and physicians prescribe current medications. Prescription drug plans offered by employers are likely to undergo changes to ensure that

Defining Elements of Value in Health Care-A Health Economics Approach: An ISPOR Special Task Force Report [3].

Science.gov (United States)

Lakdawalla, Darius N; Doshi, Jalpa A; Garrison, Louis P; Phelps, Charles E; Basu, Anirban; Danzon, Patricia M

2018-02-01

The third section of our Special Task Force report identifies and defines a series of elements that warrant consideration in value assessments of medical technologies. We aim to broaden the view of what constitutes value in health care and to spur new research on incorporating additional elements of value into cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA). Twelve potential elements of value are considered. Four of them-quality-adjusted life-years, net costs, productivity, and adherence-improving factors-are conventionally included or considered in value assessments. Eight others, which would be more novel in economic assessments, are defined and discussed: reduction in uncertainty, fear of contagion, insurance value, severity of disease, value of hope, real option value, equity, and scientific spillovers. Most of these are theoretically well understood and available for inclusion in value assessments. The two exceptions are equity and scientific spillover effects, which require more theoretical development and consensus. A number of regulatory authorities around the globe have shown interest in some of these novel elements. Augmenting CEA to consider these additional elements would result in a more comprehensive CEA in line with the "impact inventory" of the Second Panel on Cost-Effectiveness in Health and Medicine. Possible approaches for valuation and inclusion of these elements include integrating them as part of a net monetary benefit calculation, including elements as attributes in health state descriptions, or using them as criteria in a multicriteria decision analysis. Further research is needed on how best to measure and include them in decision making. Copyright © 2018 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Impact of treatment heterogeneity on drug resistance and supply chain costs.

Science.gov (United States)

Spiliotopoulou, Eirini; Boni, Maciej F; Yadav, Prashant

2013-09-01

The efficacy of scarce drugs for many infectious diseases is threatened by the emergence and spread of resistance. Multiple studies show that available drugs should be used in a socially optimal way to contain drug resistance. This paper studies the tradeoff between risk of drug resistance and operational costs when using multiple drugs for a specific disease. Using a model for disease transmission and resistance spread, we show that treatment with multiple drugs, on a population level, results in better resistance-related health outcomes, but more interestingly, the marginal benefit decreases as the number of drugs used increases. We compare this benefit with the corresponding change in procurement and safety stock holding costs that result from higher drug variety in the supply chain. Using a large-scale simulation based on malaria transmission dynamics, we show that disease prevalence seems to be a less important factor when deciding the optimal width of drug assortment, compared to the duration of one episode of the disease and the price of the drug(s) used. Our analysis shows that under a wide variety of scenarios for disease prevalence and drug cost, it is optimal to simultaneously deploy multiple drugs in the population. If the drug price is high, large volume purchasing discounts are available, and disease prevalence is high, it may be optimal to use only one drug. Our model lends insights to policy makers into the socially optimal size of drug assortment for a given context.

Patents Associated with High-Cost Drugs in Australia

OpenAIRE

Christie, Andrew F.; Dent, Chris; McIntyre, Peter; Wilson, Lachlan; Studdert, David M.

2013-01-01

Australia, like most countries, faces high and rapidly-rising drug costs. There are longstanding concerns about pharmaceutical companies inappropriately extending their monopoly position by "evergreening" blockbuster drugs, through misuse of the patent system. There is, however, very little empirical information about this behaviour. We fill the gap by analysing all of the patents associated with 15 of the costliest drugs in Australia over the last 20 years. Specifically, we search the patent...

Does Prescription Drug Adherence Reduce Hospitalizations and Costs?

OpenAIRE

William Encinosa; Didem Bernard; Avi Dor

2010-01-01

We estimate the impact of diabetic drug adherence on hospitalizations, ER visits, and hospital costs, using insurance claims from MarketScan® employer data. However, it is often difficult to measure the impact of drug adherence on hospitalizations since both adherence and hospitalizations may be correlated with unobservable patient severity. We control for such unobservables using propensity score methods and instrumental variables for adherence such as drug coinsurance levels and direct-to- ...

Approaches to Aggregation and Decision Making-A Health Economics Approach: An ISPOR Special Task Force Report [5].

Science.gov (United States)

Phelps, Charles E; Lakdawalla, Darius N; Basu, Anirban; Drummond, Michael F; Towse, Adrian; Danzon, Patricia M

2018-02-01

The fifth section of our Special Task Force report identifies and discusses two aggregation issues: 1) aggregation of cost and benefit information across individuals to a population level for benefit plan decision making and 2) combining multiple elements of value into a single value metric for individuals. First, we argue that additional elements could be included in measures of value, but such elements have not generally been included in measures of quality-adjusted life-years. For example, we describe a recently developed extended cost-effectiveness analysis (ECEA) that provides a good example of how to use a broader concept of utility. ECEA adds two features-measures of financial risk protection and income distributional consequences. We then discuss a further option for expanding this approach-augmented CEA, which can introduce many value measures. Neither of these approaches, however, provide a comprehensive measure of value. To resolve this issue, we review a technique called multicriteria decision analysis that can provide a comprehensive measure of value. We then discuss budget-setting and prioritization using multicriteria decision analysis, issues not yet fully resolved. Next, we discuss deliberative processes, which represent another important approach for population- or plan-level decisions used by many health technology assessment bodies. These use quantitative information on CEA and other elements, but the group decisions are reached by a deliberative voting process. Finally, we briefly discuss the use of stated preference methods for developing "hedonic" value frameworks, and conclude with some recommendations in this area. Copyright © 2018 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Study on drug costs associated with COPD prescription medicine in Denmark.

Science.gov (United States)

Jakobsen, Marie; Anker, Niels; Dollerup, Jens; Poulsen, Peter Bo; Lange, Peter

2013-10-01

Spirometric studies of the general population estimate that 430 000 Danes have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). COPD is mainly caused by smoking, and smoking cessation is the most important intervention to prevent disease progression. Cost-of-illness studies conclude that the costs associated with COPD in Denmark are significant, but costs of prescription medicine for COPD were not analysed. To analyse the societal costs associated with prescription medicine for COPD in Denmark. The study was designed as a nationwide retrospective register study of the drug costs (ATC group R03) associated with COPD in the period 2001-2010. Data were retrieved from the Prescription Database, the National Patient Register and the Centralised Civil Register. The population comprised individuals (40+ years) who had at least one prescription of selected R03 drugs and who had been either hospitalised with a COPD diagnosis or had at least one prescription for drugs primarily used for COPD. The study population comprised 166 462 individuals of which 97 916 were alive on 31 December 2010. The average annual drug costs (R03) were DKK 7842 (EUR 1055) per patient in 2010 with total costs of DKK 685 million (EUR 92 million). The average lifetime costs associated with COPD prescription medicine were estimated to be DKK 70 000-75 000 (EUR 9416-10 089) per patient (2010 prices). The costs associated with prescription medicine for COPD in Denmark are significant. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

[Threshold value for reimbursement of costs of new drugs: cost-effectiveness research and modelling are essential links].

Science.gov (United States)

Frederix, Geert W J; Hövels, Anke M; Severens, Johan L; Raaijmakers, Jan A M; Schellens, Jan H M

2015-01-01

There is increasing discussion in the Netherlands about the introduction of a threshold value for the costs per extra year of life when reimbursing costs of new drugs. The Medicines Committee ('Commissie Geneesmiddelen'), a division of the Netherlands National Healthcare Institute ('Zorginstituut Nederland'), advises on reimbursement of costs of new drugs. This advice is based upon the determination of therapeutic value of the drug and the results of economic evaluations. Mathematical models that predict future costs and effectiveness are often used in economic evaluations; these models can vary greatly in transparency and quality due to author assumptions. Standardisation of cost-effectiveness models is one solution to overcome the unwanted variation in quality. Discussions about the introduction of a threshold value can only be meaningful if all involved are adequately informed, and by high quality in cost-effectiveness research and, particularly, economic evaluations. Collaboration and discussion between medical specialists, patients or patient organisations, health economists and policy makers, both in development of methods and in standardisation, are essential to improve the quality of decision making.

Alcohol- and drug-related absenteeism: a costly problem.

Science.gov (United States)

Roche, Ann; Pidd, Ken; Kostadinov, Victoria

2016-06-01

Absenteeism related to alcohol and other drug (AOD) use can place a substantial burden on businesses and society. This study estimated the cost of AOD-related absenteeism in Australia using a nationally representative dataset. A secondary analysis of the 2013 National Drug Strategy Household Survey (n=12,196) was undertaken. Two measures of AOD-related absenteeism were used: participants' self-reported absence due to AOD use (M1); and the mean difference in absence due to any illness/injury for AOD users compared to abstainers (M2). Both figures were multiplied by $267.70 (average day's wage in 2013 plus 20% on-costs) to estimate associated costs. M1 resulted in an estimation of 2.5 million days lost annually due to AOD use, at a cost of more than $680 million. M2 resulted in an estimation of almost 11.5 million days lost, at a cost of $3 billion. AOD-related absenteeism represents a significant and preventable impost upon Australian businesses. Workplaces should implement evidence-based interventions to promote healthy employee behaviour and reduce AOD-related absenteeism. © 2015 Public Health Association of Australia.

The social cost of alcohol, tobacco and illicit drugs in France, 1997.

Science.gov (United States)

Fenoglio, Philippe; Parel, Véronique; Kopp, Pierre

2003-01-01

AIM, DESIGN AND SETTING: The economic costs of alcohol, tobacco and illicit drugs to French society are estimated using a cost of illness framework. For the cause of disease or death (using ICD-9 categories), pooled relative risk estimates from meta-analyses were combined with prevalence data by age and gender to derive the proportion attributable to alcohol, tobacco and/or illicit drugs. The resulting estimates of attributable deaths and hospitalizations were used to calculate the associated health care, law enforcement, productivity and other costs. The results were compared with those of other studies, and sensitivity analyses were conducted by alternative ways of measuring risk attribution and costs. The use of alcohol, tobacco and illicit drugs cost more than 200 billion francs (FF) in France in 1997, representing 3714 FF per capita or 2.7% of the gross domestic product (GDP). Alcohol is the drug that gives rise to the greatest cost in France, i.e. 115420.91 million FF (1.42% of GDP) or an expenditure per capita of 1966 FF in 1997. Alcohol takes more than half of the social cost of drugs to society. The greatest share of the social cost of alcohol comes from the loss of productivity (57555.66 million FF), due to premature death (53168.60 million FF), morbidity (3884.0 million FF) and imprisonment (503.06 million FF). Tobacco leads to a social cost of 89256.90 million FF, that is an expenditure per capita of 1520.56 FF or 1.1% of GDP. Productivity losses amount to 50446.70 million FF, with losses of 42765.80 million FF as a result of premature death and 7680.90 million FF linked to morbidity. Health care costs for tobacco occupy second place at 26973.70 million FF. Illicit drugs generate a social cost of 13350.28 million FF, that is an expenditure per capita of 227.43 FF or 0.16% of GDP. Productivity losses reach 6099.19 million FF, with 5246.92 million FF linked to imprisonment and 852.27 million FF to premature death. The cost of enforcing the law for illicit

Hidden costs of antiretroviral treatment: the public health efficiency of drug packaging.

Science.gov (United States)

Andreu-Crespo, Àngels; Llibre, Josep M; Cardona-Peitx, Glòria; Sala-Piñol, Ferran; Clotet, Bonaventura; Bonafont-Pujol, Xavier

2015-01-01

While the overall percentage of unused antiretroviral medicines returned to the hospital pharmacy is low, their cost is quite high. Adverse events, treatment failure, pharmacokinetic interactions, pregnancy, or treatment simplification are common reasons for unplanned treatment changes. Socially inefficient antiretroviral packages prevent the reuse of drugs returned to the hospital pharmacy. We defined antiretroviral package categories based on the excellence of drug packaging and analyzed the number of pills and costs of drugs returned during a period of 1 year in a hospital-based HIV unit attending to 2,413 treated individuals. A total of 6,090 pills (34% of all returned antiretrovirals) - with a cost of 47,139.91 € - would be totally lost, mainly due to being packed up in the lowest efficiency packages. Newer treatments are packaged in low-excellence categories of packages, thus favoring the maintenance of these hidden costs in the near future. Therefore, costs of this low-efficiency drug packaging, where medication packages are started but not completed, in high-cost medications are substantial and should be properly addressed. Any improvement in the packaging by the manufacturer, and favoring the choice of drugs supplied through efficient packages (when efficacy, toxicity, and convenience are similar), should minimize the treatment expenditures paid by national health budgets.

A comparative study on the cost of new antibiotics and drugs of other therapeutic categories.

Science.gov (United States)

Falagas, Matthew E; Fragoulis, Konstantinos N; Karydis, Ioannis

2006-12-20

Drug treatment is becoming more expensive due to the increased cost for the introduction of new drugs, and there seems to be an uneven distribution of medication cost for different therapeutic categories. We hypothesized that the cost of new antimicrobial agents may differ from that of other therapeutic categories and this may play a role in the stagnation of development of new antibiotics. We performed a pharmaco-economical comparative analysis of the drug cost of treatment for new agents introduced in the United States drug market in various therapeutic categories. We calculated the drug cost (in US dollars) of a ten-day treatment of all new drugs approved by the FDA during the period between January 1997 and July 2003, according to the 2004 Red Book Pharmacy's Fundamental Reference. New anti-neoplastic agents were found to be the most expensive drugs in comparison to all other therapeutic categories, with a median ten-day drug-treatment cost of US$848 compared to the median ten-day drug-treatment costs of all other categories ranging from US$29 to US$301. On the other hand, new antimicrobial drugs were found to be much less expensive, with a median ten-day drug-treatment cost of US$137 and $US85 for all anti-microbial agents and for anti-microbial agents excluding anti-HIV medications, respectively. The drug-treatment cost of new medications varies considerably by different therapeutic categories. This fact may influence industry decisions regarding the development of new drugs and may play a role in the shortage of new antimicrobial agents in the fight against the serious problem of antimicrobial resistance.

The cost of multiple sclerosis drugs in the US and the pharmaceutical industry

Science.gov (United States)

Bourdette, Dennis N.; Ahmed, Sharia M.; Whitham, Ruth H.

2015-01-01

Objective: To examine the pricing trajectories in the United States of disease-modifying therapies (DMT) for multiple sclerosis (MS) over the last 20 years and assess the influences on rising prices. Methods: We estimated the trend in annual drug costs for 9 DMTs using published drug pricing data from 1993 to 2013. We compared changes in DMT costs to general and prescription drug inflation during the same period. We also compared the cost trajectories for first-generation MS DMTs interferon (IFN)–β-1b, IFN-β-1a IM, and glatiramer acetate with contemporaneously approved biologic tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors. Results: First-generation DMTs, originally costing $8,000 to $11,000, now cost about $60,000 per year. Costs for these agents have increased annually at rates 5 to 7 times higher than prescription drug inflation. Newer DMTs commonly entered the market with a cost 25%–60% higher than existing DMTs. Significant increases in the cost trajectory of the first-generation DMTs occurred following the Food and Drug Administration approvals of IFN-β-1a SC (2002) and natalizumab (reintroduced 2006) and remained high following introduction of fingolimod (2010). Similar changes did not occur with TNF inhibitor biologics during these time intervals. DMT costs in the United States currently are 2 to 3 times higher than in other comparable countries. Conclusions: MS DMT costs have accelerated at rates well beyond inflation and substantially above rates observed for drugs in a similar biologic class. There is an urgent need for clinicians, payers, and manufacturers in the United States to confront the soaring costs of DMTs. PMID:25911108

Selecting a Dynamic Simulation Modeling Method for Health Care Delivery Research—Part 2: Report of the ISPOR Dynamic Simulation Modeling Emerging Good Practices Task Force

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Marshall, Deborah A.; Burgos-Liz, Lina; IJzerman, Maarten Joost; Crown, William; Padula, William V.; Wong, Peter K.; Pasupathy, Kalyan S.; Higashi, Mitchell K.; Osgood, Nathaniel D.

2015-01-01

In a previous report, the ISPOR Task Force on Dynamic Simulation Modeling Applications in Health Care Delivery Research Emerging Good Practices introduced the fundamentals of dynamic simulation modeling and identified the types of health care delivery problems for which dynamic simulation modeling

A Practical Methodology for Disaggregating the Drivers of Drug Costs Using Administrative Data.

Science.gov (United States)

Lungu, Elena R; Manti, Orlando J; Levine, Mitchell A H; Clark, Douglas A; Potashnik, Tanya M; McKinley, Carol I

2017-09-01

Prescription drug expenditures represent a significant component of health care costs in Canada, with estimates of $28.8 billion spent in 2014. Identifying the major cost drivers and the effect they have on prescription drug expenditures allows policy makers and researchers to interpret current cost pressures and anticipate future expenditure levels. To identify the major drivers of prescription drug costs and to develop a methodology to disaggregate the impact of each of the individual drivers. The methodology proposed in this study uses the Laspeyres approach for cost decomposition. This approach isolates the effect of the change in a specific factor (e.g., price) by holding the other factor(s) (e.g., quantity) constant at the base-period value. The Laspeyres approach is expanded to a multi-factorial framework to isolate and quantify several factors that drive prescription drug cost. Three broad categories of effects are considered: volume, price and drug-mix effects. For each category, important sub-effects are quantified. This study presents a new and comprehensive methodology for decomposing the change in prescription drug costs over time including step-by-step demonstrations of how the formulas were derived. This methodology has practical applications for health policy decision makers and can aid researchers in conducting cost driver analyses. The methodology can be adjusted depending on the purpose and analytical depth of the research and data availability. © 2017 Journal of Population Therapeutics and Clinical Pharmacology. All rights reserved.

Good Practices for Real-World Data Studies of Treatment and/or Comparative Effectiveness: Recommendations from the Joint ISPOR-ISPE Special Task Force on Real-World Evidence in Health Care Decision Making.

Science.gov (United States)

Berger, Marc L; Sox, Harold; Willke, Richard J; Brixner, Diana L; Eichler, Hans-Georg; Goettsch, Wim; Madigan, David; Makady, Amr; Schneeweiss, Sebastian; Tarricone, Rosanna; Wang, Shirley V; Watkins, John; Mullins, C Daniel

2017-09-01

Real-world evidence (RWE) includes data from retrospective or prospective observational studies and observational registries and provides insights beyond those addressed by randomized controlled trials. RWE studies aim to improve health care decision making. The International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) and the International Society for Pharmacoepidemiology (ISPE) created a task force to make recommendations regarding good procedural practices that would enhance decision makers' confidence in evidence derived from RWD studies. Peer review by ISPOR/ISPE members and task force participants provided a consensus-building iterative process for the topics and framing of recommendations. The ISPOR/ISPE Task Force recommendations cover seven topics such as study registration, replicability, and stakeholder involvement in RWE studies. These recommendations, in concert with earlier recommendations about study methodology, provide a trustworthy foundation for the expanded use of RWE in health care decision making. The focus of these recommendations is good procedural practices for studies that test a specific hypothesis in a specific population. We recognize that some of the recommendations in this report may not be widely adopted without appropriate incentives from decision makers, journal editors, and other key stakeholders. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Is law enforcement of drug-impaired driving cost-efficient? An explorative study of a methodology for cost-benefit analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Veisten, Knut; Houwing, Sjoerd; Mathijssen, M P M René; Akhtar, Juned

2013-03-01

Road users driving under the influence of psychoactive substances may be at much higher relative risk (RR) in road traffic than the average driver. Legislation banning blood alcohol concentrations above certain threshold levels combined with roadside breath-testing of alcohol have been in lieu for decades in many countries, but new legislation and testing of drivers for drug use have recently been implemented in some countries. In this article we present a methodology for cost-benefit analysis (CBA) of increased law enforcement of roadside drug screening. This is an analysis of the profitability for society, where costs of control are weighed against the reduction in injuries expected from fewer drugged drivers on the roads. We specify assumptions regarding costs and the effect of the specificity of the drug screening device, and quantify a deterrence effect related to sensitivity of the device yielding the benefit estimates. Three European countries with different current enforcement levels were studied, yielding benefit-cost ratios in the approximate range of 0.5-5 for a tripling of current levels of enforcement, with costs of about 4000 EUR per convicted and in the range of 1.5 and 13 million EUR per prevented fatality. The applied methodology for CBA has involved a simplistic behavioural response to enforcement increase and control efficiency. Although this methodology should be developed further, it is clearly indicated that the cost-efficiency of increased law enforcement of drug driving offences is dependent on the baseline situation of drug-use in traffic and on the current level of enforcement, as well as the RR and prevalence of drugs in road traffic. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Prescribing Patterns and Cost of Antihypertensive Drugs in Private ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Nx 6110

Antihypertensive agents are used to prevent morbidity and mortality related to hypertension. Prescribing patterns and the cost of some antihypertensive were studied for 600 patients attending medical clinics in four private hospitals in Dar es. Salaam using the WHO drug use indicator forms. The average number of drugs ...

Economic consequences of legal and illegal drugs: The case of social costs in Belgium.

Science.gov (United States)

Lievens, Delfine; Vander Laenen, Freya; Verhaeghe, Nick; Putman, Koen; Pauwels, Lieven; Hardyns, Wim; Annemans, Lieven

2017-06-01

Legal and illegal drugs impose a considerable burden to the individual and to society. The misuse of addictive substances results in healthcare and law enforcement costs, loss of productivity and reduced quality of life. A social cost study was conducted to estimate the substance-attributable costs of alcohol, tobacco, illegal drugs and psychoactive medication to Belgian society in 2012. The cost-of-illness framework with prevalence-based and human capital approach was applied. Three cost components were considered: direct, indirect and intangible costs related to substance misuse. The direct and indirect cost of addictive substances was estimated at 4.6 billion euros in Belgium (419 euros per capita or 1.19% of the GDP) and more than 515,000 healthy years are lost due to substance misuse. The Belgian social cost study reaffirms that alcohol and tobacco impose the highest cost to society compared to illegal drugs. Health problems are the main driver of the social cost of legal drugs. Law enforcement expenditure exceed the healthcare costs but only in the case of illegal drugs. Estimating social costs of addictive substances is complex because it is difficult to determine to what extent the societal harm is caused by substances. It can be argued that social cost studies take only a 'snapshot' of the monetary consequences of substance misuse. Nevertheless, the current study offers the most comprehensive analysis thus far of the social costs of substance misuse in Belgium. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Cost Evaluation of Commonly Prescribed Antihypertensive Drugs ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

It was also concluded that generic prescription should be encouraged among prescribers to lessen the financial burden of patients because drugs marketed under generic names are usually cheaper than those with brand names. Key words: Brand, Generic,Prescription, Antihypertensives,Cost. [Nig. Jnl Health & Biomedical ...

Strategies Used by Adults to Reduce Their Prescription Drug Costs

Science.gov (United States)

... data from the 2011 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). Keywords: National Health Interview Survey, alternative therapies, medication ... to cost ( 9 ) that are not measured in NHIS. Definitions Strategies for reducing prescription drug costs : Based ...

Hidden costs of antiretroviral treatment: the public health efficiency of drug packaging

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andreu-Crespo À

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Àngels Andreu-Crespo,1,* Josep M Llibre,2,3,* Glòria Cardona-Peitx,1 Ferran Sala-Piñol,1 Bonaventura Clotet,2,4 Xavier Bonafont-Pujol1 1Pharmacy Department, 2HIV Unit and “Lluita contra la SIDA” Foundation, University Hospital Germans Trias i Pujol, Badalona, 3Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 4Universitat de Vic-Universitat Central de Catalunya (UVIC-UCC, Vic, Barcelona, Spain *These authors contributed equally to the work Abstract: While the overall percentage of unused antiretroviral medicines returned to the hospital pharmacy is low, their cost is quite high. Adverse events, treatment failure, pharmacokinetic interactions, pregnancy, or treatment simplification are common reasons for unplanned treatment changes. Socially inefficient antiretroviral packages prevent the reuse of drugs returned to the hospital pharmacy. We defined antiretroviral package categories based on the excellence of drug packaging and analyzed the number of pills and costs of drugs returned during a period of 1 year in a hospital-based HIV unit attending to 2,413 treated individuals. A total of 6,090 pills (34% of all returned antiretrovirals – with a cost of 47,139.91€ – would be totally lost, mainly due to being packed up in the lowest efficiency packages. Newer treatments are packaged in low-excellence categories of packages, thus favoring the maintenance of these hidden costs in the near future. Therefore, costs of this low-efficiency drug packaging, where medication packages are started but not completed, in high-cost medications are substantial and should be properly addressed. Any improvement in the packaging by the manufacturer, and favoring the choice of drugs supplied through efficient packages (when efficacy, toxicity, and convenience are similar, should minimize the treatment expenditures paid by national health budgets. Keywords: antiretroviral treatment, cost efficacy, drug packaging, treatment change

Determination of the frequency and direct cost of the adverse drug events in Argentina.

Science.gov (United States)

Izquierdo, Estela; Rodríguez, Claudio; Pampliega, Eneas; Filinger, Ester

2009-05-01

To determine the frequency and the direct costs of adverse drug reactions, in an ambulatory population of the City of Buenos Aires, Argentina and its area of influence. A retrospective study was done during a period of three months on approximately 300.000 residents of the Buenos Aires area, gathering data according to the selected variables by means of the electronic capture of prescriptions dispensed in pharmacies of the area. This method enables the detection and registration of potential conflicts that may arise between a prescribed drug and factors such as: patient's demographic, clinical and drug profile. The analysis unit was defined as the happening of a moderate or severe adverse event reported by the system. The selected variables were the incidence of these effects and the direct cost was calculated as the value of the drugs that induced the adverse event. The events were classified according to the following interactions: a) drug-drug, b) drug-pediatrics, c) drug-gender, d) drug-pregnancy and abuse of controlled substances. The observed frequency shows great variability and the shortage of available data for ambulatory populations. We found 6.74% of reported events over the total of processed items, which generated an additional cost equivalent to 4.58% of the total pharmaceutical expenses. This study has only evaluated the cost occurred by the use of a drug that will lead to an adverse reaction. Moderate and severe reactions were included regardless of the important indirect costs, hospitalization costs, tests, physician fees, etc.

Cost effectiveness of withdrawal of fall-risk-increasing drugs in geriatric outpatients.

Science.gov (United States)

van der Velde, Nathalie; Meerding, Willen Jan; Looman, Caspar W; Pols, Huibert A P; van der Cammen, Tischa J M

2008-01-01

Withdrawal of fall-risk-increasing drugs has been proven to be effective in older persons. However, given the enormous rise in healthcare costs in recent decades, the effect of such withdrawals on healthcare costs also needs to be considered. Within a common geriatric outpatient population, patients with a history of falls were assessed for falls risk (n = 139). Fall-risk-increasing drugs were withdrawn when appropriate (n = 75). All participants had a 2-month follow-up for fall incidents. The number of prevented falls was calculated using a loglinear regression model. The savings on health expenditures as a result of prevented injuries (estimated from a literature review) and reduced consumption of pharmaceuticals were compared with the intervention costs. After adjustment for confounders, drug withdrawal resulted in a falls risk reduction of 0.89 (95% CI 0.33, 0.98) per patient compared with the non-withdrawal group. Net cost savings were euro1691 (95% CI 662, 2181) per patient in the cohort. This resulted in a cost saving of euro491 (95% CI 465, 497) per prevented fall. Withdrawal of fall-risk-increasing drugs generates significant cost savings. Extrapolation of these findings to a national scale results in an estimated reduction of euro60 million in healthcare expenditures, that is, 15% of fall-related health costs.

Study on drug costs associated with COPD prescription medicine in Denmark

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jakobsen, M; Anker, N; Dollerup, J

2013-01-01

that the costs associated with COPD in Denmark are significant, but costs of prescription medicine for COPD were not analysed. OBJECTIVES: To analyse the societal costs associated with prescription medicine for COPD in Denmark. METHODS: The study was designed as a nationwide retrospective register study...... in 2010 with total costs of DKK 685 million (EUR 92 million). The average lifetime costs associated with COPD prescription medicine were estimated to be DKK 70,000-75,000 (EUR 9,416-10,089) per patient (2010 prices). CONCLUSION: The costs associated with prescription medicine for COPD in Denmark...... of the drug costs (ATC group R03) associated with COPD in the period 2001-2010. Data were retrieved from the Prescription Database, the National Patient Register and the Centralised Civil Register. The population comprised individuals (40+ years) who had at least one prescription of selected R03 drugs and who...

STUDY ON DRUG COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH COPD PRESCRIPTION MEDICINE IN DENMARK

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jakobsen, Iris Marie; Anker, Niels; Dolleru, Jens

2012-01-01

that the costs associated with COPD in Denmark are significant, but costs of prescription medicine for COPD were not analysed. OBJECTIVES: To analyse the societal costs associated with prescription medicine for COPD in Denmark. METHODS: The study was designed as a nationwide retrospective register study...... in 2010 with total costs of DKK 685 million (EUR 92 million). The average lifetime costs associated with COPD prescription medicine were estimated to be DKK 70,000-75,000 (EUR 9,416-10,089) per patient (2010 prices). CONCLUSION: The costs associated with prescription medicine for COPD in Denmark...... of the drug costs (ATC group R03) associated with COPD in the period 2001-2010. Data were retrieved from the Prescription Database, the National Patient Register and the Centralised Civil Register. The population comprised individuals (40+ years) who had at least one prescription of selected R03 drugs and who...

Social costs of illegal drugs, alcohol and tobacco in the European Union: A systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Barrio, Pablo; Reynolds, Jillian; García-Altés, Anna; Gual, Antoni; Anderson, Peter

2017-09-01

Drug use accounts for one of the main disease groups in Europe, with relevant consequences to society. There is an increasing need to evaluate the economic consequences of drug use in order to develop appropriate policies. Here, we review the social costs of illegal drugs, alcohol and tobacco in the European Union. A systematic search of relevant databases was conducted. Grey literature and previous systematic reviews were also searched. Studies reporting on social costs of illegal drugs, alcohol and tobacco were included. Methodology, cost components as well as costs were assessed from individual studies. To compare across studies, final costs were transformed to 2014 Euros. Forty-five studies reported in 43 papers met the inclusion criteria (11 for illegal drugs, 26 for alcohol and 8 for tobacco). While there was a constant inclusion of direct costs related to treatment of substance use and comorbidities, there was a high variability for the rest of cost components. Total costs showed also a great variability. Price per capita for the year 2014 ranged from €0.38 to €78 for illegal drugs, from €26 to €1500 for alcohol and from €10.55 to €391 for tobacco. Drug use imposes a heavy economic burden to Europe. However, given the high existing heterogeneity in methodologies, and in order to better assess the burden and thus to develop adequate policies, standardised methodological guidance is needed. [Barrio P, Reynolds J, García-Altés A, Gual A, Anderson P. Social costs of illegal drugs, alcohol and tobacco in the European Union: A systematic review. Drug Alcohol Rev 2017;00:000-000]. © 2017 Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs.

Risk Factors Associated with Mortality and Increased Drug Costs in Nonvariceal Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding.

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Mingliang; Sun, Gang; Zhang, Xiu-li; Zhang, Xiao-mei; Liu, Qing-sen; Huang, Qi-yang; Lau, James W Y; Yang, Yun-sheng

2015-06-01

To determine risk factors associated with mortality and increased drug costs in patients with nonvariceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding. We retrospectively analyzed data from patients hospitalized with nonvariceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding between January 2001-December 2011. Demographic and clinical characteristics and drug costs were documented. Univariate analysis determined possible risk factors for mortality. Statistically significant variables were analyzed using a logistic regression model. Multiple linear regression analyzed factors influencing drug costs. p study included data from 627 patients. Risk factors associated with increased mortality were age > 60, systolic blood pressurebleeding rate is 11.20% and mortality is 5.74%. The mortality risk in patients with comorbidities was higher than in patients without comorbidities, and was higher in patients requiring blood transfusion than in patients not requiring transfusion. Rebleeding was associ-ated with mortality. Rebleeding, blood transfusion, and prolonged hospital stay were associated with increased drug costs, whereas bleeding from lesions in the esophagus and duodenum was associated with lower drug costs.

Evaluating Drug Cost per Response with SGLT2 Inhibitors in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

Science.gov (United States)

Lopez, Janice M S; Macomson, Brian; Ektare, Varun; Patel, Dipen; Botteman, Marc

2015-09-01

The sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors, which include canagliflozin, dapagliflozin, and empagliflozin, represent a new class of antihyperglycemic agents. Few studies have assessed their cost per response, with "cost per response" being the total cost of a select drug, divided by the resulting change in glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels. To examine the drug cost of SGLT2 inhibitors per a reduction in placebo-adjusted 1% HbA1c in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus who received treatment during 26 weeks with canagliflozin, dapagliflozin, or empagliflozin. The drug cost per response for each of the 3 agents individually was assessed based on data from a subset of clinical trials discussed in the prescribing information for each drug that were all placebo-controlled studies evaluating each drug as monotherapy, dual therapy (combined with metformin), and triple therapy (combined with metformin and a sulfonylurea) in patients with uncontrolled, type 2 diabetes mellitus. The US 2015 wholesale acquisition cost for each drug was used to calculate each drug's treatment costs over 26 weeks. The average cost per response for each drug was defined as the prescription drug cost of each SGLT2 inhibitor, divided by the average, placebo-adjusted HbA1c reduction at 26 weeks. The drug cost per unit dose was the same for canagliflozin (100 mg or 300 mg), dapagliflozin (5 mg or 10 mg), and empagliflozin (10 mg or 25 mg), at $11.43. The drug cost per placebo-adjusted 1% HbA1c reduction varied by agent and by dose, as a result of the differences in the treatment responses for each of the 3 drugs. The costs per response for canagliflozin 100 mg as monotherapy, dual therapy, and triple therapy regimens ranged from $2286 to $3355, and for canagliflozin 300 mg, from $1793 to $2702. The costs per response for dapagliflozin 5 mg as monotherapy and dual therapy (triple therapy was not available at the time of the study) ranged from $4161 to $5201; the cost for dapagliflozin

California drug courts: outcomes, costs and promising practices: an overview of Phase II in a statewide study.

Science.gov (United States)

Carey, Shannon M; Finigan, Michael; Crumpton, Dave; Waller, Mark

2006-11-01

The rapid expansion of drug courts in California and the state's uncertain fiscal climate highlighted the need for definitive cost information on drug court programs. This study focused on creating a research design that can be utilized for statewide and national cost-assessment of drug courts by conducting in-depth case studies of the costs and benefits in nine adult drug courts in California. A Transactional Institutional Costs Analysis (TICA) approach was used, allowing researchers to calculate costs based on every individual's transactions within the drug court or the traditional criminal justice system. This methodology also allows the calculation of costs and benefits by agency (e.g., Public Defender's office, court, District Attorney). Results in the nine sites showed that the majority of agencies save money in processing an offender though drug court. Overall, for these nine study sites, participation in drug court saved the state over 9 million dollars in criminal justice and treatment costs due to lower recidivism in drug court participants. Based on the lessons learned in Phases I and II, Phase III of this study focuses on the creation of a web-based drug court cost self-evaluation tool (DC-CSET) that drug courts can use to determine their own costs and benefits.

Cost-effectiveness analysis of introducing malaria diagnostic testing in drug shops

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Kristian Schultz; Clarke, Siân E.; Lal, Sham

2017-01-01

Background Private sector drug shops are an important source of malaria treatment in Africa, yet diagnosis without parasitological testing is common among these providers. Accurate rapid diagnostic tests for malaria (mRDTs) require limited training and present an opportunity to increase access...... to correct diagnosis. The present study was a cost-effectiveness analysis of the introduction of mRDTs in Ugandan drug shops. Methods Drug shop vendors were trained to perform and sell subsidised mRDTs and artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) in the intervention arm while vendors offered ACTs...... following presumptive diagnosis of malaria in the control arm. The effect on the proportion of customers with fever ‘appropriately treated of malaria with ACT’ was captured during a randomised trial in drug shops in Mukono District, Uganda. Health sector costs included: training of drug shop vendors...

Analysis of the Financial Cost of Diabetes Mellitus in Four Cocoa Clinics of Ghana.

Science.gov (United States)

Quaye, Ernest Attuquaye; Amporful, Edward O; Akweongo, Patricia; Aikins, Moses K

2015-09-01

To estimate the financial cost of managing diabetes mellitus in four Cocoa clinics of Ghana. A descriptive cross-sectional study of diabetes management was carried out in the four Cocoa clinics of Ghana from January to December 2009. The "cost-of-illness" approach from the institutional perspective was used. A pretested data extraction form was used to review the medical records of 304 randomly selected diabetic patients. The patients' mean age was 55.4 ± 9.4 years. The mean annual financial cost of managing one diabetic case at the clinics was estimated to be Ghana cedi (GHS) 540.35 (US $372.65). Service cost constituted 22% of the cost, whereas direct medical cost constituted 78% of the cost. Drug cost was 71% of the financial cost. The cost of hospitalization per patient-day at Cocoa clinics was estimated at GHS 32.78 (US $22.61). The total financial cost of diabetes management was estimated at GHS 420,087.67 (US $289,715.63). This accounted for 8% of the total expenditure for the clinics in the year 2009. The study showed that facility type, type of diabetes, and presence of complication are associated with the cost of diabetes management to Cocoa clinics. The mean age of detection suggests delay in diagnosis of diabetes mellitus and accompanying complications, which has cost implications. Policy that enhances early detection of diabetes in clinical practice would therefore improve management and reduce costs. The financial cost of managing diabetes can be used to forecast the economic burden of the disease in the area. Copyright © 2015 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

[Evolution of reimbursement of high-cost anticancer drugs: Financial impact within a university hospital].

Science.gov (United States)

Baudouin, Amandine; Fargier, Emilie; Cerruti, Ariane; Dubromel, Amélie; Vantard, Nicolas; Ranchon, Florence; Schwiertz, Vérane; Salles, Gilles; Souquet, Pierre-Jean; Thomas, Luc; Bérard, Frédéric; Nancey, Stéphane; Freyer, Gilles; Trillet-Lenoir, Véronique; Rioufol, Catherine

2017-06-01

In the context of health expenses control, reimbursement of high-cost medicines with a 'minor' or 'nonexistent' improvement in actual health benefit evaluated by the Haute Autorité de santé is revised by the decree of March 24, 2016 related to the procedure and terms of registration of high-cost pharmaceutical drugs. This study aims to set up the economic impact of this measure. A six months retrospective study was conducted within a French university hospital from July 1, 2015 to December 31, 2015. For each injectable high-cost anticancer drug prescribed to a patient with cancer, the therapeutic indication, its status in relation to the marketing authorization and the associated improvement in actual health benefit were examined. The total costs of these treatments, the cost per type of indication and, in the case of marketing authorization indications, the cost per improvement in actual health benefit were evaluated considering that all drugs affected by the decree would be struck off. Over six months, 4416 high-cost injectable anticancer drugs were prescribed for a total cost of 4.2 million euros. The costs of drugs with a minor or nonexistent improvement in actual benefit and which comparator is not onerous amount 557,564 euros. The reform of modalities of inscription on the list of onerous drugs represents a significant additional cost for health institutions (1.1 million euros for our hospital) and raises the question of the accessibility to these treatments for cancer patients. Copyright © 2017 Société Française du Cancer. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Out-of-pocket cost of drug abuse consequences: results from Iranian National Mental Health Survey.

Science.gov (United States)

Amin-Esmaeili, Masoumeh; Hefazi, Mitra; Radgoodarzi, Reza; Motevalian, Abbas; Sharifi, Vandad; Hajebi, Ahmad; Rahimi-Movaghar, Afarin

2017-05-01

Drug abuse has significant cost to the individual, the family and the society. This study aimed to assess out of-pocket costs of consequences of drug use disorder. Data were drawn from the Iranian Mental Health Survey (IranMHS) through face-to-face interviews with 7841 respondents aged 15-64 years. We used a bottom-up cost-ofillness method for economic analysis. Out-of-pocket costs for treatment of mental and drug problems, treatment of medical illnesses, as well as costs of crimes were assessed. The average of total annual expense was US$ 2120.6 for those with drug use disorder, which was 23.5% of annual income of an average Iranian family in the year 2011. The average of total out-of-pocket cost was US$ 674.6 for those with other mental disorder and US$ 421.9 for those with no mental disorder. Catastrophic payment was reported in 47.6% of the patients with drug use disorder and 14.4% of those with other mental disorder. Thus, considerable amount of family resources are spent on the consequences of drug use.

Economic Costs of Alcohol and Drug Abuse in Texas: 1997 Update.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Liang Y.

This report provides an update of the costs of alcohol and drug abuse for 1997. The 1997 costs were estimated by multiplying the percent changes in various socioeconomic factors from 1989 to 1997 by the cost estimates. The adverse health and social consequences of substance abuse extensively increased costs to the state. The total economic costs…

Multiple Criteria Decision Analysis for Health Care Decision Making--Emerging Good Practices: Report 2 of the ISPOR MCDA Emerging Good Practices Task Force.

Science.gov (United States)

Marsh, Kevin; IJzerman, Maarten; Thokala, Praveen; Baltussen, Rob; Boysen, Meindert; Kaló, Zoltán; Lönngren, Thomas; Mussen, Filip; Peacock, Stuart; Watkins, John; Devlin, Nancy

2016-01-01

Health care decisions are complex and involve confronting trade-offs between multiple, often conflicting objectives. Using structured, explicit approaches to decisions involving multiple criteria can improve the quality of decision making. A set of techniques, known under the collective heading, multiple criteria decision analysis (MCDA), are useful for this purpose. In 2014, ISPOR established an Emerging Good Practices Task Force. The task force's first report defined MCDA, provided examples of its use in health care, described the key steps, and provided an overview of the principal methods of MCDA. This second task force report provides emerging good-practice guidance on the implementation of MCDA to support health care decisions. The report includes: a checklist to support the design, implementation and review of an MCDA; guidance to support the implementation of the checklist; the order in which the steps should be implemented; illustrates how to incorporate budget constraints into an MCDA; provides an overview of the skills and resources, including available software, required to implement MCDA; and future research directions. Copyright © 2016 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Price Reversal Pattern of ARV Drugs: A Transaction-Cost Approach Digression

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Frank LORNE

2015-05-01

Full Text Available A price reversal pattern of ARV drugs was noted across lower and middle income countries in that the lower-income countries have higher prices relative to higher-income countries based on a 2008-2009 Summary Report by World Health Organization. The transaction costs affecting AVR drug pricing can be broadly classified into two kinds: One between the final users and the opinion/knowledge experts, and the other between the opinion/knowledge experts and the manufacturers. Economist’s version of price discrimination needs to be modified by including transaction costs. Transaction costs also point to institution creditability factors that will affect NGO procurement.

The Use of Economic Evidence to Inform Drug Pricing Decisions in Jordan.

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Hammad, Eman A

2016-01-01

Drug pricing is an example of a priority setting in a developing country with official requirements for the use of cost-effectiveness (CE) evidence. To describe the role of economic evidence in drug pricing decisions in Jordan. A prospective review of all applications submitted between November 2013 and May 2015 to the Jordan Food and Drug Association's drug pricing committee was carried out. All applications that involved requests for CE evidence were reviewed. Details on the type of study, the extent, and whether the evidence submitted was part of the formal deliberations were extracted and summarized. The committee reviewed a total of 1608 drug pricing applications over the period of the study. CE evidence was requested in only 11 applications. The submitted evidence was of limited use to the committee due to concerns about quality, relevance of studies, and lack of pharmacoeconomic expertise. There were also no clear rules describing how CE would inform pricing decisions. Limited local data and health economic experience were the main barriers to the use of economic evidence in drug pricing decisions in Jordan. In addition, there are no official rules describing the elements and process by which the CE evidence would inform drug pricing decisions. This study summarized accumulated observations for the current use of economic evaluations and evidence-based decision making in Jordan. Recommendations have been proposed to applicants and key decision makers to enhance the role of economic evidence in influencing health policies and evidence-based decision making across priority settings. Copyright © 2016 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Adherence to hospital drug formularies and cost of drugs in hospitals in Denmark

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Plet, H. T.; Hallas, J.; Kjeldsen, L. J.

2013-01-01

PURPOSE: To investigate adherence rates to hospital drug formularies (HDFs) and cost of drugs in hospitals. METHODS: Data on drugs used during 2010 were analyzed for ten hospitals (two hospitals from each of the five regions), constituting 30 % of hospitals and 45 % of hospital beds in Denmark....... Drug use data from individual hospitals were retrieved from the hospital pharmacies. Adherence to the HDFs was analyzed for selected substances characterised by extensive use both in primary and secondary sectors (ATC codes A10, B03, C03, C07, C08, C09, C10, J01, N02, N05 and R03). Within each group......, we also identified the drugs constituting 90 % of the volume (= DU90%) and the adherence to the HDF in this segment (Index of Adherence). RESULTS: Substances used by hospitals varied between 598 and 1,093. The proportion of used substances that were on the HDF varied between 14 % and 44 %. University...

Drug utilization and cost in a Medicaid population: A simulation study of community vs. mail order pharmacy

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Seoane-Vazquez Enrique

2007-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Outpatient drugs are dispensed through both community and mail order pharmacies. There is no empirical evidence that substitution of community pharmacy with mail order reduces overall drug expenditures. The need for evaluating the potential effects on utilization and costs of the possible extension of mail order services in Medicaid provides the rationale for conducting this study. This study compares drug utilization and drug product cost in community vs. mail order pharmacy dispensing services in a Medicaid population. Methods This study is a retrospective cohort study comparing utilization and cost patterns in community vs. mail order pharmacy. A simulation model was employed to assess drug utilization and cost in mail order pharmacy using community pharmacy claim data. The model assumed that courses of drug therapy (CDT in mail order pharmacy would have utilization patterns similar to those found in community pharmacy. A 95% confidence interval surrounding changes in average utilization and average cost were estimated using bootstrap analysis. A sensitivity analysis was performed by varying drug selection criteria and supply, fill point, and medication possession ratio (MPR. Sub-analyses were performed to address differences between mail order and community pharmacy related to therapeutic class and dual-eligible patients. Data for the study derived from pharmacy claims database of Ohio Medicaid State program for the period January 2000-September 2004. Drug claims were aggregated to obtain a set of CDTs representing unique patient IDs and unique drug products. Drug product cost estimates excluded dispensing fees and were used to estimate the cost reduction required in mail order to become cost neutral in comparison with community pharmacy. Results The baseline model revealed that the use of mail order vs. community pharmacy would result in a 5.5% increase in drug utilization and a 5.4% cost reduction required in mail order

Impact of pharmacist’s interventions on cost of drug therapy in intensive care unit. Pharmacy

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Saokaew S

2009-06-01

Full Text Available Pharmacist participation in patient care team has been shown to reduce incidence of adverse drug events, and overall drug costs. However, impact of pharmacist participation in the multidisciplinary intensive care team on cost saving and cost avoidance has little been studied in Thailand.Objective: To describe the characteristics of the interventions and to determine pharmacist’s interventions led to change in cost saving and cost avoidance in intensive care unit (ICU. Methods: A Prospective, standard care-controlled study design was used to compare cost saving and cost avoidance of patients receiving care from patient care team (including a clinical pharmacist versus standard care (no pharmacist on team. All patients admitted to the medical intensive care unit 1 and 2 during the same period were included in the study. The outcome measures were overall drug cost and length of ICU stay. Interventions made by the pharmacist in the study group were documented. The analyses of acceptance and cost saving and/or cost avoidance were also performed. Results: A total of 65 patients were admitted to either ICU 1 or 2 during the 5 week- study period. The pharmacist participated in patient care and made total of 127 interventions for the ICU-1 team. Ninety-eight percent of the interventions were accepted and implemented by physicians. The difference of overall drug cost per patient between two groups was 182.01 USD (1,076.37 USD in study group and 1,258.38 USD in control group, p=0.138. The average length of ICU stay for the intervention group and the control group was not significantly different (7.16 days vs. 6.18 days, p=0.995. The 125 accepted interventions were evaluated for cost saving and cost avoidance. Pharmacist’s interventions yielded a total of 1,971.43 USD from drug cost saving and 294.62 USD from adverse drug event cost avoidance. The net cost saved and avoided from pharmacist interventions was 2,266.05 USD. Interventions involving

Multiple Criteria Decision Analysis for Health Care Decision Making--An Introduction: Report 1 of the ISPOR MCDA Emerging Good Practices Task Force.

Science.gov (United States)

Thokala, Praveen; Devlin, Nancy; Marsh, Kevin; Baltussen, Rob; Boysen, Meindert; Kalo, Zoltan; Longrenn, Thomas; Mussen, Filip; Peacock, Stuart; Watkins, John; Ijzerman, Maarten

2016-01-01

Health care decisions are complex and involve confronting trade-offs between multiple, often conflicting, objectives. Using structured, explicit approaches to decisions involving multiple criteria can improve the quality of decision making and a set of techniques, known under the collective heading multiple criteria decision analysis (MCDA), are useful for this purpose. MCDA methods are widely used in other sectors, and recently there has been an increase in health care applications. In 2014, ISPOR established an MCDA Emerging Good Practices Task Force. It was charged with establishing a common definition for MCDA in health care decision making and developing good practice guidelines for conducting MCDA to aid health care decision making. This initial ISPOR MCDA task force report provides an introduction to MCDA - it defines MCDA; provides examples of its use in different kinds of decision making in health care (including benefit risk analysis, health technology assessment, resource allocation, portfolio decision analysis, shared patient clinician decision making and prioritizing patients' access to services); provides an overview of the principal methods of MCDA; and describes the key steps involved. Upon reviewing this report, readers should have a solid overview of MCDA methods and their potential for supporting health care decision making. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Inc.

The cost-effectiveness of direct-to-consumer advertising for prescription drugs.

Science.gov (United States)

Atherly, Adam; Rubin, Paul H

2009-12-01

In this paper we use published information to analyze the economic value of Direct to Consumer Advertising (DTCA). The reviewed research finds that DTCA leads to increased demand for the advertised drug and that the effect of the drug tends to be class-wide rather than product specific. There is weak evidence that DTCA may increase compliance and improve clinical outcomes. However, there is little research on the effect of DTCA on inappropriate prescribing or on the characteristics of patients who respond to treatment. On net, if the advertised drugs are cost effective on average and the patients using the drugs in response to the advertisement are similar to other users, DTCA is likely cost effective. Overall, the literature to date is consistent with the idea that DTCA is beneficial, but further research is needed before definitive conclusions can be drawn.

Direct cost analysis of intensive care unit stay in four European countries: applying a standardized costing methodology.

Science.gov (United States)

Tan, Siok Swan; Bakker, Jan; Hoogendoorn, Marga E; Kapila, Atul; Martin, Joerg; Pezzi, Angelo; Pittoni, Giovanni; Spronk, Peter E; Welte, Robert; Hakkaart-van Roijen, Leona

2012-01-01

The objective of the present study was to measure and compare the direct costs of intensive care unit (ICU) days at seven ICU departments in Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom by means of a standardized costing methodology. A retrospective cost analysis of ICU patients was performed from the hospital's perspective. The standardized costing methodology was developed on the basis of the availability of data at the seven ICU departments. It entailed the application of the bottom-up approach for "hotel and nutrition" and the top-down approach for "diagnostics," "consumables," and "labor." Direct costs per ICU day ranged from €1168 to €2025. Even though the distribution of costs varied by cost component, labor was the most important cost driver at all departments. The costs for "labor" amounted to €1629 at department G but were fairly similar at the other departments (€711 ± 115). Direct costs of ICU days vary widely between the seven departments. Our standardized costing methodology could serve as a valuable instrument to compare actual cost differences, such as those resulting from differences in patient case-mix. Copyright © 2012 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Development of an Official Guideline for the Economic Evaluation of Drugs/Medical Devices in Japan.

Science.gov (United States)

Shiroiwa, Takeru; Fukuda, Takashi; Ikeda, Shunya; Takura, Tomoyuki; Moriwaki, Kensuke

2017-03-01

In Japan, cost-effectiveness evaluation was implemented on a trial basis from fiscal year 2016. The results will be applied to the future repricing of drugs and medical devices. On the basis of a request from the Central Social Insurance Medical Council (Chuikyo), our research team drafted the official methodological guideline for trial implementation. Here, we report the process of developing and the contents of the official guideline for cost-effectiveness evaluation. The guideline reflects discussions at the Chuikyo subcommittee (e.g., the role of quality-adjusted life-year) and incorporates our academic perspective. Team members generated research questions for each section of the guideline and discussions on these questions were carried out. A draft guideline was prepared and submitted to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW), and then to the subcommittee. The draft guideline was revised on the basis of the discussions at the subcommitte, if appropriate. Although the "public health care payer's perspective" is standard in this guideline, other perspectives can be applied as necessary depending on the objective of analysis. On the basis of the discussions at the subcommittee, quality-adjusted life-year will be used as the basic outcome. A discount rate of 2% per annum for costs and outcomes is recommended. The final guideline was officially approved by the Chuikyo general assembly in February 2016. This is the first officially approved guideline for the economic evaluation of drugs and medical devices in Japan. The guideline is expected to improve the quality and comparability of submitted cost-effectiveness data for decision making. Copyright © 2017 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Budget impact analysis-principles of good practice: report of the ISPOR 2012 Budget Impact Analysis Good Practice II Task Force.

Science.gov (United States)

Sullivan, Sean D; Mauskopf, Josephine A; Augustovski, Federico; Jaime Caro, J; Lee, Karen M; Minchin, Mark; Orlewska, Ewa; Penna, Pete; Rodriguez Barrios, Jose-Manuel; Shau, Wen-Yi

2014-01-01

Budget impact analyses (BIAs) are an essential part of a comprehensive economic assessment of a health care intervention and are increasingly required by reimbursement authorities as part of a listing or reimbursement submission. The objective of this report was to present updated guidance on methods for those undertaking such analyses or for those reviewing the results of such analyses. This update was needed, in part, because of developments in BIA methods as well as a growing interest, particularly in emerging markets, in matters related to affordability and population health impacts of health care interventions. The Task Force was approved by the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research Health Sciences Policy Council and appointed by its Board of Directors. Members were experienced developers or users of BIAs; worked in academia and industry and as advisors to governments; and came from several countries in North America and South America, Oceania, Asia, and Europe. The Task Force solicited comments on the drafts from a core group of external reviewers and, more broadly, from the membership of the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research. The Task Force recommends that the design of a BIA for a new health care intervention should take into account relevant features of the health care system, possible access restrictions, the anticipated uptake of the new intervention, and the use and effects of the current and new interventions. The key elements of a BIA include estimating the size of the eligible population, the current mix of treatments and the expected mix after the introduction of the new intervention, the cost of the treatment mixes, and any changes expected in condition-related costs. Where possible, the BIA calculations should be performed by using a simple cost calculator approach because of its ease of use for budget holders. In instances, however, in which the changes in eligible population size

Transgenic Plants as Low-Cost Platform for Chemotherapeutic Drugs Screening

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniele Vergara

2015-01-01

Full Text Available In this work we explored the possibility of using genetically modified Arabidopsis thaliana plants as a rapid and low-cost screening tool for evaluating human anticancer drugs action and efficacy. Here, four different inhibitors with a validated anticancer effect in humans and distinct mechanism of action were screened in the plant model for their ability to interfere with the cytoskeletal and endomembrane networks. We used plants expressing a green fluorescent protein (GFP tagged microtubule-protein (TUA6-GFP, and three soluble GFPs differently sorted to reside in the endoplasmic reticulum (GFPKDEL or to accumulate in the vacuole through a COPII dependent (AleuGFP or independent (GFPChi mechanism. Our results demonstrated that drugs tested alone or in combination differentially influenced the monitored cellular processes including cytoskeletal organization and endomembrane trafficking. In conclusion, we demonstrated that A. thaliana plants are sensitive to the action of human chemotherapeutics and can be used for preliminary screening of drugs efficacy. The cost-effective subcellular imaging in plant cell may contribute to better clarify drugs subcellular targets and their anticancer effects.

Patented Drug Extension Strategies on Healthcare Spending: A Cost-Evaluation Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Vernaz, Nathalie; Haller, Guy; Girardin, François; Huttner, Benedikt; Combescure, Christophe; Dayer, Pierre; Muscionico, Daniel; Salomon, Jean-Luc; Bonnabry, Pascal

2013-01-01

Background Drug manufacturers have developed “evergreening” strategies to compete with generic medication after patent termination. These include marketing of slightly modified follow-on drugs. We aimed to estimate the financial impact of these drugs on overall healthcare costs and also to examine the impact of listing these drugs in hospital restrictive drug formularies (RDFs) on the healthcare system as a whole (“spillover effect”). Methods and Findings We used hospital and community pharmacy invoice office data in the Swiss canton of Geneva to calculate utilisation of eight follow-on drugs in defined daily doses between 2000 and 2008. “Extra costs” were calculated for three different scenarios assuming replacement with the corresponding generic equivalent for prescriptions of (1) all brand (i.e., initially patented) drugs, (2) all follow-on drugs, or (3) brand and follow-on drugs. To examine the financial spillover effect we calculated a monthly follow-on drug market share in defined daily doses for medications prescribed by hospital physicians but dispensed in community pharmacies, in comparison to drugs prescribed by non-hospital physicians in the community. Estimated “extra costs” over the study period were €15.9 (95% CI 15.5; 16.2) million for scenario 1, €14.4 (95% CI 14.1; 14.7) million for scenario 2, and €30.3 (95% CI 29.8; 30.8) million for scenario 3. The impact of strictly switching all patients using proton-pump inhibitors to esomeprazole at admission resulted in a spillover “extra cost” of €330,300 (95% CI 276,100; 383,800), whereas strictly switching to generic cetirizine resulted in savings of €7,700 (95% CI 4,100; 11,100). Overall we estimated that the RDF resulted in “extra costs” of €503,600 (95% CI 444,500; 563,100). Conclusions Evergreening strategies have been successful in maintaining market share in Geneva, offsetting competition by generics and cost containment policies. Hospitals may be contributing to

Blood pressure reduction, persistence and costs in the evaluation of antihypertensive drug treatment – a review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hasford Joerg

2009-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Blood pressure lowering drugs are usually evaluated in short term trials determining the absolute blood pressure reduction during trough and the duration of the antihypertensive effect after single or multiple dosing. A lack of persistence with treatment has however been shown to be linked to a worse cardiovascular prognosis. This review explores the blood pressure reduction and persistence with treatment of antihypertensive drugs and the cost consequences of poor persistence with pharmaceutical interventions in arterial hypertension. Methods We have searched the literature for data on blood pressure lowering effects of different antihypertensive drug classes and agents, on persistence with treatment, and on related costs. Persistence was measured as patients' medication possession rate. Results are presented in the form of a systematic review. Results Angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARBs have a competitive blood pressure lowering efficacy compared with ACE-inhibitors (ACEi and calcium channel blockers (CCBs, beta-blockers (BBs and diuretics. 8 studies describing the persistence with treatment were identified. Patients were more persistent on ARBs than on ACEi and CCBs, BBs and diuretics. Thus the product of blood pressure lowering and persistence was higher on ARBs than on any other drug class. Although the price per tablet of more recently developed drugs (ACEi, ARBs is higher than that of older ones (diuretics and BBs, the newer drugs result in a more favourable cost to effect ratio when direct drug costs and indirect costs are also considered. Conclusion To evaluate drugs for the treatment of hypertension several key variables including the blood pressure lowering effect, side effects, compliance/persistence with treatment, as well as drug costs and direct and indirect costs of medical care have to be considered. ARBs, while nominally more expensive when drug costs are considered only, provide substantial cost savings

Balancing the benefits and costs of antibiotic drugs: the TREAT model.

Science.gov (United States)

Leibovici, L; Paul, M; Andreassen, S

2010-12-01

TREAT is a computerized decision support system aimed at improving empirical antibiotic treatment of inpatients with suspected bacterial infections. It contains a model that balances, for each antibiotic choice (including 'no antibiotics'), expected benefit and expected costs. The main benefit afforded by appropriate, empirical, early antibiotic treatment in moderate to severe infections is a better chance of survival. Each antibiotic drug was consigned three cost components: cost of the drug and administration; cost of side effects; and costs of future resistance. 'No treatment' incurs no costs. The model worked well for decision support. Its analysis showed, yet again, that for moderate to severe infections, a model that does not include costs of resistance to future patients will always return maximum antibiotic treatment. Two major moral decisions are hidden in the model: how to take into account the limited life-expectancy and limited quality of life of old or very sick patients; and how to assign a value for a life-year of a future, unnamed patient vs. the present, individual patient. © 2010 The Authors. Clinical Microbiology and Infection © 2010 European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases.

The association of consumer cost-sharing and direct-to-consumer advertising with prescription drug use.

Science.gov (United States)

Hansen, Richard A; Schommer, Jon C; Cline, Richard R; Hadsall, Ronald S; Schondelmeyer, Stephen W; Nyman, John A

2005-06-01

Previous research on the impact of various cost-sharing strategies on prescription drug use has not considered the impact of direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising. To explore the association of cost-containment strategies with prescription drug use and to determine if the association is moderated by DTC prescription drug advertising. The study population included 288 280 employees and dependents aged 18 to 65 years with employer-sponsored health insurance contributing to the MEDSTAT MarketScan administrative data set. Person-level enrollment and claims data were obtained for beneficiaries enrolled continuously during July 1997 through December 1998. Direct-to-consumer advertising data were obtained from Competitive Media Reporting and linked to the MEDSTAT enrollment files. Localized DTC advertising expenditures for one class of medication were evaluated and matched with prescription claims for eligible MEDSTAT contributors. The association of various types and levels of cost-sharing incentives with incident product use was evaluated, controlling for the level of DTC advertising, health status, and other demographic covariates. The relationship of cost-sharing amounts with drug use was modified by the level of DTC advertising in a geographic market. This relationship was dependent on the type of cost-sharing, distinguishing between co-payments for provider visits and co-payments for prescription drugs. Compared with low-advertising markets, individuals residing in markets with high levels of advertising and paying provider co-payments of $10.00 or more were more likely to use the advertised product. In the same markets, higher prescription drug co-payments were associated with a decreased likelihood of using the advertised product. A similar relationship was not observed for the nonadvertised competitor. Among insured individuals, response to cost-sharing strategies is moderated by DTC prescription drug advertising. The relative ability of cost-sharing strategies to

Cost of Tuberculosis Diagnosis and Treatment in Patients with HIV: A Systematic Literature Review.

Science.gov (United States)

de Siqueira-Filha, Noemia Teixeira; Legood, Rosa; Cavalcanti, Aracele; Santos, Andreia Costa

2018-04-01

To summarize the costs of tuberculosis (TB) diagnosis and treatment in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients and to assess the methodological quality of these studies. We included cost, cost-effectiveness, and cost-utility studies that reported primary costing data, conducted worldwide and published between 1990 and August 2016. We retrieved articles in PubMed, Embase, EconLit, CINAHL plus, and LILACS databases. The quality assessment was performed using two guidelines-the Consolidated Health Economic Evaluation Reporting Standards and the Tool to Estimate Patient's Costs. TB diagnosis was reported as cost per positive result or per suspect case. TB treatment was reported as cost of TB drugs, TB/HIV hospitalization, and treatment. We analyzed the data per level of TB/HIV endemicity and perspective of analysis. We included 34 articles, with 24 addressing TB/HIV treatment and 10 addressing TB diagnosis. Most of the studies were carried out in high TB/HIV burden countries (82%). The cost of TB diagnosis per suspect case varied from $0.5 for sputum smear microscopy to $175 for intensified case finding. The cost of TB/HIV hospitalization was higher in low/medium TB/HIV burden countries than in high TB/HIV burden countries ($75,406 vs. $2,474). TB/HIV co-infection presented higher costs than TB from the provider perspective ($814 vs. $604 vs. $454). Items such as "choice of discount rate," "patient interview procedures," and "methods used for valuing indirect costs" did not achieve a good score in the quality assessment. Our findings point to the need of generation of more standardized methods for cost data collection to generate more robust estimates and thus, support decision-making process. Copyright © 2018 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Evidence on the cost of breast cancer drugs is required for rational decision making

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Berghuis, Anne Margreet Sofie; Koffijberg, Hendrik; Terstappen, Leonardus Wendelinus Mathias Marie; Sleijfer, Stefan; IJzerman, Maarten Joost

2018-01-01

Background: For rational decision making, assessing the cost-effectiveness and budget impact of new drugs and comparing the costs of drugs already on the market is required. In addition to value frameworks, such as the American Society of Clinical Oncology Value Framework and the European Society of

Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Systemic Therapies in Advanced Pancreatic Cancer in the Canadian Health Care System.

Science.gov (United States)

Coyle, Doug; Ko, Yoo-Joung; Coyle, Kathryn; Saluja, Ronak; Shah, Keya; Lien, Kelly; Lam, Henry; Chan, Kelvin K W

2017-04-01

To assess the cost-effectiveness of gemcitabine (G), G + 5-fluorouracil, G + capecitabine, G + cisplatin, G + oxaliplatin, G + erlotinib, G + nab-paclitaxel (GnP), and FOLFIRINOX in the treatment of advanced pancreatic cancer from a Canadian public health payer's perspective, using data from a recently published Bayesian network meta-analysis. Analysis was conducted through a three-state Markov model and used data on the progression of disease with treatment from the gemcitabine arms of randomized controlled trials combined with estimates from the network meta-analysis for the newer regimens. Estimates of health care costs were obtained from local providers, and utilities were derived from the literature. The model estimates the effect of treatment regimens on costs and quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) discounted at 5% per annum. At a willingness-to-pay (WTP) threshold of greater than $30,666 per QALY, FOLFIRINOX would be the most optimal regimen. For a WTP threshold of $50,000 per QALY, the probability that FOLFIRINOX would be optimal was 57.8%. There was no price reduction for nab-paclitaxel when GnP was optimal. From a Canadian public health payer's perspective at the present time and drug prices, FOLFIRINOX is the optimal regimen on the basis of the cost-effectiveness criterion. GnP is not cost-effective regardless of the WTP threshold. Copyright © 2017 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

HVAC Modeling for Cost of Ownership Assessment in Biotechnology & Drugs Manufacturing

OpenAIRE

Broomes, Peter; Dornfeld, David A

2003-01-01

Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems used in the clean room environment of biotechnology and drug development and manufacturing, are extremely energy and water intensive and represent a significant operating cost for these facilities [1]. HVAC systems are also the primary source of environmental emissions for the majority of companies operating within the biotechnology and drugs sector. While the processes used in drug manufacture have negligible environmental impact...

Health care costs of adults treated for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder who received alternative drug therapies.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Eric Q; Birnbaum, Howard G; Zhang, Huabin F; Ivanova, Jasmina I; Yang, Elaine; Mallet, David

2007-09-01

Many therapies exist for treating adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), also referred to as attention-deficit disorder (ADD), but there is no research regarding cost differences associated with initiating alternative ADD/ADHD drug therapies in adults. To compare from the perspective of a large self-insured employer the risk-adjusted direct health care costs associated with 3 alternative drug therapies for ADD in newly treated patients: extended-release methylphenidate (osmotic release oral system-MPH), mixed amphetamine salts extended release (MAS-XR), or atomoxetine. We analyzed data from a US claims database of 5 million beneficiaries from 31 large self-insured employers (1999-2004). Analysis was restricted to adults aged 18 to 64 years with at least 1 diagnosis of ADD/ADHD (International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification [ICD-9-CM] codes 314.0x--attention deficit disorder; 314.00--attention deficit disorder without hyperactivity; or 314.01--attention-deficit disorder with hyperactivity) and at least 1 pharmacy claim for OROS-MPH, MAS-XR, or atomoxetine identified using National Drug Codes. In preliminary analysis, we calculated the duration of index ADHD drug therapy as time from index therapy initiation to a minimum 60-day gap. Because the median duration of index ADHD drug therapy was found to be approximately 90 days, the primary measures were total direct medical plus drug costs and medical-only costs computed over 6 months following therapy initiation. Adults were required to have continuous eligibility 6 months before and 6 months after their latest drug therapy initiation and no ADHD therapy during the previous 6 months. Cost was measured as the payment amount made by the health plan to the provider rather than billed charges, and it excluded patient copayments and deductibles. Medical costs included costs incurred for all-cause inpatient and outpatient/other services. Costs were adjusted for inflation to

Effect of a therapeutic maximum allowable cost (MAC) program on the cost and utilization of proton pump inhibitors in an employer-sponsored drug plan in Canada.

Science.gov (United States)

Mabasa, Vincent H; Ma, Johnny

2006-06-01

Therapeutic maximum allowable cost (MAC) is a managed care intervention that uses reference pricing in a therapeutic class or category of drugs or an indication (e.g., heartburn). Therapeutic MAC has not been studied in Canada or the United States. The proton pump inhibitor (PPI) rabeprazole was used as the reference drug in this therapeutic MAC program based on prices for PPIs in the province of Ontario. No PPI is available over the counter in Canada. To evaluate the utilization and anticipated drug cost savings for PPIs in an employer-sponsored drug plan in Canada that implemented a therapeutic MAC program for PPIs. An employer group with an average of 6,300 covered members, which adopted the MAC program for PPIs in June 2003, was compared with a comparison group comprising the book of business throughout Canada (approximately 5 million lives) without a PPI MAC program (non-MAC group). Pharmacy claims for PPIs were identified using the first 6 characters of the generic product identifier (GPI 492700) for a 36-month period from June 1, 2002, through May 31, 2005. The primary comparison was the year prior to the intervention (from June 1, 2002, through May 31, 2003) and the first full year following the intervention (June 1, 2004, through May 31, 2005). Drug utilization was evaluated by comparing the market share of each of the PPIs for the 2 time periods and by the days of PPI therapy per patient per year (PPPY) and days of therapy per prescription (Rx). Drug cost was defined as the cost of the drug (ingredient cost), including allowable provincial pharmacy markup but excluding pharmacy dispense fee. Cost savings were calculated from the allowed drug cost per claim, allowed cost per day, and allowed cost PPPY. (All amounts are in Canadian dollars.) The MAC intervention group experienced an 11.7% reduction in the average cost per day of PPI drug therapy, from 2.14 US dollars in the preperiod to 1.89 US dollars in the postperiod, compared with a 3.7% reduction in

Societal Preferences for Funding Orphan Drugs in the United Kingdom: An Application of Person Trade-Off and Discrete Choice Experiment Methods.

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Bourke, Siobhan M; Plumpton, Catrin O; Hughes, Dyfrig A

2018-05-01

It is unclear whether UK National Health Service (NHS) policies for orphan drugs, which permit funding of non-cost-effective treatments, reflect societal preferences. We conducted person trade-off (PTO) and discrete choice experiment (DCE) among 3950 adults selected to be representative of the UK general population. Experimental design was informed by surveys of patients affected by rare diseases, their caregivers, health care staff, and policymakers. Societal preferences were estimated in relation to treating a common disease, increases in waiting lists, or filling of vacant NHS posts. Results of the DCE were applied to recently licensed orphan drugs. On the basis of equal cost, the majority of respondents to the PTO (54%; 95% confidence interval [CI] 50-59) chose to allocate funds equally between patients treated for rare diseases and those treated for common diseases, with 32% (95% CI 28-36) favoring treating rare diseases over treating common diseases (14%; 95% CI 11-17), which this reduced to 23% (95% CI 20-27) when rare disease treatments were 10 times more expensive. When framed differently, more respondents prioritized not increasing waiting list size (43%; 95% CI 39-48) than to treat rare disease patients (34%; 95% CI 30-38). The DCE indicated a greater preference for treating a common disease over a rare disease. Respondents agreed with five of 12 positive appraisal recommendations for orphan drugs, even if their list price was higher, but preferred the NHS not to fund the remainder. The general public does not value rarity as a sufficient reason to justify special consideration for additional NHS funding of orphan drugs. This has implications regarding the appropriateness of operating higher thresholds of cost-effectiveness. Copyright © 2018 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

An Overview of Value, Perspective, and Decision Context-A Health Economics Approach: An ISPOR Special Task Force Report [2].

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Garrison, Louis P; Pauly, Mark V; Willke, Richard J; Neumann, Peter J

2018-02-01

The second section of our Special Task Force builds on the discussion of value and perspective in the previous article of the report by 1) defining a health economics approach to the concept of value in health care systems; 2) discussing the relationship of value to perspective and decision context, that is, how recently proposed value frameworks vary by the types of decisions being made and by the stakeholders involved; 3) describing the patient perspective on value because the patient is a key stakeholder, but one also wearing the hat of a health insurance purchaser; and 4) discussing how value is relevant in the market-based US system of mixed private and public insurance, and differs from its use in single-payer systems. The five recent value frameworks that motivated this report vary in the types of decisions they intend to inform, ranging from coverage, access, and pricing decisions to those defining appropriate clinical pathways and to supporting provider-clinician shared decision making. Each of these value frameworks must be evaluated in its own decision context for its own objectives. Existing guidelines for cost-effectiveness analysis emphasize the importance of clearly specifying the perspective from which the analysis is undertaken. Relevant perspectives may include, among others, 1) the health plan enrollee, 2) the patient, 3) the health plan manager, 4) the provider, 5) the technology manufacturer, 6) the specialty society, 7) government regulators, or 8) society as a whole. A valid and informative cost-effectiveness analysis could be conducted from the perspective of any of these stakeholders, depending on the decision context. Copyright © 2018 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

COST ANALYSIS OF LONG ESTABLISHED AND NEWER ORAL ANTIEPILEPTIC DRUGS AVAILABLE IN THE INDIAN MARKET

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Phatak Abhishek M, Hotwani Jitendra H, Deshmukhkiran R, Panchal Sagar S, Naik Madhura S

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Background: Large number of pharmaceutical companies manufactures antiepileptic drugs in India. The price variations among the marketed drugs are wide. Aims: The present study was aimed to find the cost of different oral antiepileptic drugs available in Indian market as monotherapy, combination therapy and number of manufacturing companies for each, to evaluate difference in cost of different brands of same dosage of same active drug by calculating percentage variation of cost. Methods and Materials: Cost of a drug being manufactured by different companies, in the same strength and dosage forms was obtained from “Indian Drug Review” Vol. XXI, Issue No.4, 2014 and “Current Index of Medical Specialties” July-October 2014. The difference in the maximum and minimum price of the same drug manufactured by different pharmaceutical companies and percentage variation in price was calculated. Results: The percentage price variation noted of long-established drugs was – Phenytoin (50mg: 140%, Carbamazepine (100mg: 1033%, Phenobarbital (30mg : 730%, Valproic acid (300mg : 420%. Newer drugs –Levetiracetam (250mg: 75%, Lamotrigine (25mg: 66%, Topiramate (50mg: 108%, Zonisamide (100mg: 19%. Combination drugs – Phenobarbital + Phenytoin (30+100 mg: 354.55%. Conclusion: The percentage price variation of different brands of the same commonly used long-established oral antiepileptic drug manufactured in India is very wide. The formulation or brand of Antiepileptic drugs (AED’s should preferably not be changed since variations in bioavailability or different pharmacokinetic profiles may increase the potential for reduced effect or excessive side effects. Hence, manufacturing companies should aim to decrease the price variation while maintaining the therapeutic efficacy.

Cost-Effectiveness and Cost Thresholds of Generic and Brand Drugs in a National Chronic Hepatitis B Treatment Program in China.

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Mehlika Toy

Full Text Available Chronic liver disease and liver cancer associated with chronic hepatitis B (CHB are leading causes of death among adults in China. Although newborn hepatitis B immunization has successfully reduced the prevalence of CHB in children, about 100 million Chinese adults remain chronically infected. If left unmanaged, 15-25% will die from liver cancer or liver cirrhosis. Antiviral treatment is not necessary for all patients with CHB, but when it is indicated, good response to treatment would prevent disease progression and reduce disease mortality and morbidity, and costly complications. The aim of this study is to analyze the cost-effectiveness of generic and brand antiviral drugs for CHB treatment in China, and assessing various thresholds at which a highly potent, low resistance antiviral drug would be cost-saving and/or cost-effective to introduce in a national treatment program. We developed a Markov simulation model of disease progression using effectiveness and cost data from the medical literature. We measured life-time costs, quality adjusted life years (QALYs, incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs, and clinical outcomes. The no treatment strategy incurred the highest health care costs ($12,932-$25,293 per patient, and the worst health outcomes, compared to the antiviral treatment strategies. Monotherapy with either entecavir or tenofovir yielded the most QALYs (14.10-19.02 for both HBeAg-positive and negative patients, with or without cirrhosis. Threshold analysis showed entercavir or tenofovir treatment would be cost saving if the drug price is $32-75 (195-460 RMB per month, highly cost-effective at $62-110 (379-670 RMB per month and cost-effective at $63-120 (384-734 RMB per month. This study can support policy decisions regarding the implementation of a national health program for chronic hepatitis B treatment in China at the population level.

The cost of antibiotic mass drug administration for trachoma control in a remote area of South Sudan.

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Kolaczinski, Jan H; Robinson, Emily; Finn, Timothy P

2011-10-01

Mass drug administration (MDA) of antibiotics is a key component of the so-called "SAFE" strategy for trachoma control, while MDA of anthelminthics provides the cornerstone for control of a number of other neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). Simultaneous delivery of two or more of these drugs, renowned as "integrated NTD control," is being promoted to reduce costs and expand intervention coverage. A cost analysis was conducted alongside an MDA campaign in a remote trachoma endemic area, to inform budgeting for NTD control in South Sudan. A first round of antibiotic MDA was conducted in the highly trachoma endemic county of Mayom, Unity state, from June to August 2010. A core team of seven staff delivered the intervention, including recruitment and training of 44 supervisors and 542 community drug distributors. Using an ingredients approach, financial and economic costs were captured from the provider perspective in a detailed costing database. Overall, 123,760 individuals were treated for trachoma, resulting in an estimated treatment coverage of 94%. The economic cost per person treated was USD 1.53, excluding the cost of the antibiotic azithromycin. Ninety four per cent of the delivery costs were recurrent costs, with personnel and travel/transport costs taking up the largest share. In a remote setting and for the initial round, MDA of antibiotics was considerably more expensive than USD 0.5 per person treated, an estimate frequently quoted to advocate for integrated NTD control. Drug delivery costs in South Sudan are unlikely to decrease substantially during subsequent MDA rounds, as the major cost drivers were recurrent costs. MDA campaigns for delivery of one or more drugs in South Sudan should thus be budgeted at around USD 1.5 per person treated, at least until further costing data for delivery of other NTD drugs, singly or in combination, are available.

The cost of antibiotic mass drug administration for trachoma control in a remote area of South Sudan.

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Jan H Kolaczinski

2011-10-01

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Mass drug administration (MDA of antibiotics is a key component of the so-called "SAFE" strategy for trachoma control, while MDA of anthelminthics provides the cornerstone for control of a number of other neglected tropical diseases (NTDs. Simultaneous delivery of two or more of these drugs, renowned as "integrated NTD control," is being promoted to reduce costs and expand intervention coverage. A cost analysis was conducted alongside an MDA campaign in a remote trachoma endemic area, to inform budgeting for NTD control in South Sudan. METHODS AND FINDINGS: A first round of antibiotic MDA was conducted in the highly trachoma endemic county of Mayom, Unity state, from June to August 2010. A core team of seven staff delivered the intervention, including recruitment and training of 44 supervisors and 542 community drug distributors. Using an ingredients approach, financial and economic costs were captured from the provider perspective in a detailed costing database. Overall, 123,760 individuals were treated for trachoma, resulting in an estimated treatment coverage of 94%. The economic cost per person treated was USD 1.53, excluding the cost of the antibiotic azithromycin. Ninety four per cent of the delivery costs were recurrent costs, with personnel and travel/transport costs taking up the largest share. CONCLUSIONS: In a remote setting and for the initial round, MDA of antibiotics was considerably more expensive than USD 0.5 per person treated, an estimate frequently quoted to advocate for integrated NTD control. Drug delivery costs in South Sudan are unlikely to decrease substantially during subsequent MDA rounds, as the major cost drivers were recurrent costs. MDA campaigns for delivery of one or more drugs in South Sudan should thus be budgeted at around USD 1.5 per person treated, at least until further costing data for delivery of other NTD drugs, singly or in combination, are available.

Stemming the Escalating Cost of Prescription Drugs: A Position Paper of the American College of Physicians.

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Daniel, Hilary

2016-03-29

This American College of Physicians position paper, initiated and written by its Health and Public Policy Committee and approved by the Board of Regents on 16 February 2016, reports policy recommendations from the American College of Physicians to address the escalating costs of prescription drugs in the United States. Prescription drugs play an important part in treating and preventing disease. However, the United States often pays more for some prescription drugs than other developed countries, and the high price and increasing costs associated with prescription medication is a major concern for patients, physicians, and payers. Pharmaceutical companies have considerable flexibility in how they price drugs, and the costs that payers and patients see are dependent on how payers are able to negotiate discounts or rebates. Beyond setting list prices are issues of regulatory approval, patents and intellectual property, assessment of value and cost-effectiveness, and health plan drug benefits. These issues are linked, and comprehensive efforts will be needed to affect how drugs are priced in the United States.

Incorporating indirect costs into a cost-benefit analysis of laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding.

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Finkelstein, Eric A; Allaire, Benjamin T; Dibonaventura, Marco Dacosta; Burgess, Somali M

2012-01-01

The objective of this study was to estimate the time to breakeven and 5-year net costs of laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (LAGB) taking both direct and indirect costs and cost savings into account. Estimates of direct cost savings from LAGB were available from the literature. Although longitudinal data on indirect cost savings were not available, these estimates were generated by quantifying the relationship between medical expenditures and absenteeism and between medical expenditures and presenteeism (reduced on-the-job productivity) and combining these elasticity estimates with estimates of the direct cost savings to generate total savings. These savings were then combined with the direct and indirect costs of the procedure to quantify net savings. By including indirect costs, the time to breakeven was reduced by half a year, from 16 to 14 quarters. After 5 years, net savings in medical expenditures from a gastric banding procedure were estimated to be $4970 (±$3090). Including absenteeism increased savings to $6180 (±$3550). Savings were further increased to $10,960 (±$5864) when both absenteeism and presenteeism estimates were included. This study presented a novel approach for including absenteeism and presenteeism estimates in cost-benefit analyses. Application of the approach to gastric banding among surgery-eligible obese employees revealed that the inclusion of indirect costs and cost savings improves the business case for the procedure. This approach can easily be extended to other populations and treatments. Copyright © 2012 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Methodology to Forecast Volume and Cost of Cancer Drugs in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

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Yehoda M. Martei

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Purpose: In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs, frequent outages of the stock of cancer drugs undermine cancer care delivery and are potentially fatal for patients with cancer. The aim of this study is to describe a methodologic approach to forecast chemotherapy volume and estimate cost that can be readily updated and applied in most LMICs. Methods: Prerequisite data for forecasting are population-based incidence data and cost estimates per unit of drug to be ordered. We used the supplementary guidelines from the WHO list of essential medicines for cancer to predict treatment plans and ordering patterns. We used de-identified aggregate data from the Botswana National Cancer Registry to estimate incident cases. The WHO Management Sciences for Health International Price Indicator was used to estimate unit costs per drug. Results: Chemotherapy volume required for incident cancer cases was estimated as the product of the standardized dose required to complete a full treatment regimen per patient, with a given cancer diagnosis and stage, multiplied by the total number of incident cancer cases with the respective diagnosis. The estimated chemotherapy costs to treat the 10 most common cancers in the public health care sector of Botswana is approximately 2.3 million US dollars. An estimated 66% of the budget is allocated to costs of rituximab and trastuzumab alone, which are used by approximately 10% of the cancer population. Conclusion: This method provides a reproducible approach to forecast chemotherapy volume and cost in LMICs. The chemotherapy volume and cost outputs of this methodology provide key stakeholders with valuable information that can guide budget estimation, resource allocation, and drug-price negotiations for cancer treatment. Ultimately, this will minimize drug shortages or outages and reduce potential loss of lives that result from an erratic drug supply.

Can value-based insurance impose societal costs?

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Koenig, Lane; Dall, Timothy M; Ruiz, David; Saavoss, Josh; Tongue, John

2014-09-01

Among policy alternatives considered to reduce health care costs and improve outcomes, value-based insurance design (VBID) has emerged as a promising option. Most applications of VBID, however, have not used higher cost sharing to discourage specific services. In April 2011, the state of Oregon introduced a policy for public employees that required additional cost sharing for high-cost procedures such as total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Our objectives were to estimate the societal impact of higher co-pays for TKA using Oregon as a case study and building on recent work demonstrating the effects of knee osteoarthritis and surgical treatment on employment and disability outcomes. We used a Markov model to estimate the societal impact in terms of quality of life, direct costs, and indirect costs of higher co-pays for TKA using Oregon as a case study. We found that TKA for a working population can generate societal benefits that offset the direct medical costs of the procedure. Delay in receiving surgical care, because of higher co-payment or other reasons, reduced the societal savings from TKA. We conclude that payers moving toward value-based cost sharing should consider consequences beyond direct medical expenses. Copyright © 2014 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Prediction of Change in Prescription Ingredient Costs and Co-payment Rates under a Reference Pricing System in South Korea.

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Heo, Ji Haeng; Rascati, Karen L; Lee, Eui-Kyung

2017-05-01

The reference pricing system (RPS) establishes reference prices within interchangeable reference groupings. For drugs priced higher than the reference point, patients pay the difference between the reference price and the total price. To predict potential changes in prescription ingredient costs and co-payment rates after implementation of an RPS in South Korea. Korean National Health Insurance claims data were used as a baseline to develop possible RPS models. Five components of a potential RPS policy were varied: reference groupings, reference pricing methods, co-pay reduction programs, manufacturer price reductions, and increased drug substitutions. The potential changes for prescription ingredient costs and co-payment rates were predicted for the various scenarios. It was predicted that transferring the difference (total price minus reference price) from the insurer to patients would reduce ingredient costs from 1.4% to 22.8% for the third-party payer (government), but patient co-payment rates would increase from a baseline of 20.4% to 22.0% using chemical groupings and to 25.0% using therapeutic groupings. Savings rates in prescription ingredient costs (government and patient combined) were predicted to range from 1.6% to 13.7% depending on various scenarios. Although the co-payment rate would increase, a 15% price reduction by manufacturers coupled with a substitution rate of 30% would result in a decrease in the co-payment amount (change in absolute dollars vs. change in rates). Our models predicted that the implementation of RPS in South Korea would lead to savings in ingredient costs for the third-party payer and co-payments for patients with potential scenarios. Copyright © 2017 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Low-cost ultra-wide genotyping using Roche/454 pyrosequencing for surveillance of HIV drug resistance.

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Dawn M Dudley

Full Text Available Great efforts have been made to increase accessibility of HIV antiretroviral therapy (ART in low and middle-income countries. The threat of wide-scale emergence of drug resistance could severely hamper ART scale-up efforts. Population-based surveillance of transmitted HIV drug resistance ensures the use of appropriate first-line regimens to maximize efficacy of ART programs where drug options are limited. However, traditional HIV genotyping is extremely expensive, providing a cost barrier to wide-scale and frequent HIV drug resistance surveillance.We have developed a low-cost laboratory-scale next-generation sequencing-based genotyping method to monitor drug resistance. We designed primers specifically to amplify protease and reverse transcriptase from Brazilian HIV subtypes and developed a multiplexing scheme using multiplex identifier tags to minimize cost while providing more robust data than traditional genotyping techniques. Using this approach, we characterized drug resistance from plasma in 81 HIV infected individuals collected in São Paulo, Brazil. We describe the complexities of analyzing next-generation sequencing data and present a simplified open-source workflow to analyze drug resistance data. From this data, we identified drug resistance mutations in 20% of treatment naïve individuals in our cohort, which is similar to frequencies identified using traditional genotyping in Brazilian patient samples.The developed ultra-wide sequencing approach described here allows multiplexing of at least 48 patient samples per sequencing run, 4 times more than the current genotyping method. This method is also 4-fold more sensitive (5% minimal detection frequency vs. 20% at a cost 3-5× less than the traditional Sanger-based genotyping method. Lastly, by using a benchtop next-generation sequencer (Roche/454 GS Junior, this approach can be more easily implemented in low-resource settings. This data provides proof-of-concept that next

Plenary III–04: Responses to Drug Costs: Year Three of the Medicare Part D Program

OpenAIRE

Fung, Vicki; Reed, Mary; Hsu, John

2010-01-01

Background/Aims: Many Medicare Part D beneficiaries face substantial prescription drug cost-sharing. In the first year of the program, many beneficiaries reported substantial drug use changes in response to the coverage gap. In response, an increasing number of plans offer generic drug coverage during the gap. We compared responses to Part D costs among beneficiaries with generic-only gap coverage and full gap coverage in 2008, the third year of the Part D program.

Impact of Cost-Sharing Increases on Continuity of Specialty Drug Use: A Quasi-Experimental Study.

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Li, Pengxiang; Hu, Tianyan; Yu, Xinyan; Chahin, Salim; Dahodwala, Nabila; Blum, Marissa; Pettit, Amy R; Doshi, Jalpa A

2017-07-24

To examine the impact of cost-sharing increases on continuity of specialty drug use in Medicare beneficiaries with multiple sclerosis (MS) or rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Five percent Medicare claims data (2007-2010). Quasi-experimental study examining changes in specialty drug use among a group of Medicare Part D beneficiaries without low-income subsidies (non-LIS) as they transitioned from a 5 percent cost-sharing preperiod to a ≥25 percent cost-sharing postperiod, as compared to changes among a disease-matched contemporaneous control group of patients eligible for full low-income subsidies (LIS), who faced minor cost sharing (≤$6.30 copayment) in both the pre- and postperiods. Key variables were extracted from Medicare data. Relative to the LIS group, the non-LIS group had a greater increase in incidence of 30-day continuous gaps in any Part D treatment from the lower cost-sharing period to the higher cost-sharing period (MS, absolute increase = 10.1 percent, OR = 1.61, 95% CI 1.19-2.17; RA, absolute increase = 21.9 percent, OR = 2.75, 95% CI 2.15-3.51). The increase in Part D treatment gaps was not offset by increased Part B specialty drug use. Cost-sharing increases due to specialty tier-level cost sharing were associated with interruptions in MS and RA specialty drug treatments. © Health Research and Educational Trust.

Extra Help with Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Cost (FY 2010-2015)

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Social Security Administration — This file contains information about Social Security determinations of eligibility for Extra Help with Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Costs. Specific data elements...

Extra Help with Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Cost (FY 2016 Onward)

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Social Security Administration — This file contains information about Social Security determinations of eligibility for Extra Help with Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Costs. Specific data elements...

Cost evaluation of therapeutic drug monitoring of gentamicin at a teaching hospital in Malaysia

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Ibrahim MI

2014-03-01

Full Text Available Background: Therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM makes use of serum drug concentrations as an adjunct to decision-making. Preliminary data in our hospital showed that approximately one-fifth of all drugs monitored by TDM service were gentamicin. Objective: In this study, we evaluated the costs associated with providing the service in patients with bronchopneumonia and treated with gentamicin. Methods: We retrospectively collected data from medical records of patients admitted to the Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia over a 5-year period. These patients were diagnosed with bronchopneumonia and were on gentamicin as part of their treatment. Five hospitalisation costs were calculated; (i cost of laboratory and clinical investigations, (ii cost associated with each gentamicin dose, (iii fixed and operating costs of TDM service, (iv cost of providing medical care, and (v cost of hospital stay during gentamicin treatment. Results: There were 1920 patients admitted with bronchopneumonia of which 67 (3.5% had TDM service for gentamicin. Seventy-three percent (49/67 patients were eligible for final analysis. The duration of gentamicin therapy ranged from 3 to 15 days. The cost of providing one gentamicin assay was MYR25, and the average cost of TDM service for each patient was MYR104. The average total hospitalisation cost during gentamicin treatment for each patient was MYR442 (1EUR approx. MYR4.02. Conclusion: Based on the hospital perspective, in patients with bronchopneumonia and treated with gentamicin, the provision of TDM service contributes to less than 25% of the total cost of hospitalization.

Cost effectiveness of withdrawal of fall-risk-increasing drugs in geriatric outpatients

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van der Velde, Nathalie; Meerding, Willen Jan; Looman, Caspar W.; Pols, Huibert A. P.; van der Cammen, Tischa J. M.

2008-01-01

BACKGROUND: Withdrawal of fall-risk-increasing drugs has been proven to be effective in older persons. However, given the enormous rise in healthcare costs in recent decades, the effect of such withdrawals on healthcare costs also needs to be considered. METHOD: Within a common geriatric outpatient

Cost effectiveness of drug eluting coronary artery stenting in a UK setting: cost-utility study.

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Bagust, A; Grayson, A D; Palmer, N D; Perry, R A; Walley, T

2006-01-01

To assess the cost effectiveness of drug eluting stents (DES) compared with conventional stents for treatment of symptomatic coronary artery disease in the UK. Cost-utility analysis of audit based patient subgroups by means of a simple economic model. Tertiary care. 12 month audit data for 2884 patients receiving percutaneous coronary intervention with stenting at the Cardiothoracic Centre Liverpool between January 2000 and December 2002. Risk of repeat revascularisation within 12 months of index procedure and reduction in risk from use of DES. Economic modelling was used to estimate the cost-utility ratio and threshold price premium. Four factors were identified for patients undergoing elective surgery (n = 1951) and two for non-elective surgery (n = 933) to predict risk of repeat revascularisation within 12 months. Most patients fell within the subgroup with lowest risk (57% of the elective surgery group with 5.6% risk and 91% of the non-elective surgery group with 9.9% risk). Modelled cost-utility ratios were acceptable for only one group of high risk patients undergoing non-elective surgery (only one patient in audit data). Restricting the number of DES for each patient improved results marginally: 4% of stents could then be drug eluting on economic grounds. The threshold price premium justifying 90% substitution of conventional stents was estimated to be 112 pound sterling (212 USD, 162 pound sterling) (sirolimus stents) or 89 pound sterling (167 USD, 130 pound sterling) (paclitaxel stents). At current UK prices, DES are not cost effective compared with conventional stents except for a small minority of patients. Although the technology is clearly effective, general substitution is not justified unless the price premium falls substantially.

The upward spiral of drug costs: a time series analysis of drugs used in the treatment of hemophilia.

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Rogoff, Edward G; Guirguis, Hany S; Lipton, Richard A; Seremetis, Stephanie V; DiMichele, Donna M; Agnew, George M; Karpatkin, Margaret; Barish, Robert J; Jones, Robert L; Bianco, Celso; Knothe, Barbara D; Lee, Myung-Soo

2002-10-01

Hemophilia is an expensive disease because its treatment is heavily dependent on costly clotting factor drugs. Over the last nine years,a consortium of three Comprehensive Hemophilia Treatment Centers and other hospitals, which purchased clotting factors for their patients, has seen treatment costs escalate on average 17% annually. Currently, new, even more expensive drugs are entering the market. This study analyzes 3,244 purchases that were made over a nine-year period totaling nearly 500 million units of clotting factor, representing every product on the market. Purchases were made both apart from and under the Federal Public Health Service (PHS)discount pricing rules. The main cause of the increases was the move to newer, more expensive products. The average price of existing products increased less than 2%per year, but new products were priced, on average, 47% higher than existing products. Overall consumption increased by an average of 5% per year, likely reflecting prophylactic treatment modalities that require greater amounts of clotting factor. Government pricing programs, such as the PHS program, were ineffective or counterproductive at reducing costs. There is a notable absence of competition in this market, with a few dominant companies having a functional monopoly in the largest segments of the market. Prices of older products are not lowered, even when new products are brought to market. A few products that serve small patient groups have had their prices increased substantially. This escalation is likely to continue as new, more expensive clotting factor drugs are developed. Since these new products are not proven to be any safer or more effective than the current products, this situation creates a risk of intervention by government and insurers to address both treatment costs and exhaustion of patients' insurance caps. Drug companies are not serving the patients by pricing new, but often very similar, products so aggressively. The trends seen in

Comparing the Medicaid Retrospective Drug Utilization Review Program Cost-Savings Methods Used by State Agencies.

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Prada, Sergio I

2017-12-01

The Medicaid Drug Utilization Review (DUR) program is a 2-phase process conducted by Medicaid state agencies. The first phase is a prospective DUR and involves electronically monitoring prescription drug claims to identify prescription-related problems, such as therapeutic duplication, contraindications, incorrect dosage, or duration of treatment. The second phase is a retrospective DUR and involves ongoing and periodic examinations of claims data to identify patterns of fraud, abuse, underutilization, drug-drug interaction, or medically unnecessary care, implementing corrective actions when needed. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services requires each state to measure prescription drug cost-savings generated from its DUR programs on an annual basis, but it provides no guidance or unified methodology for doing so. To describe and synthesize the methodologies used by states to measure cost-savings using their Medicaid retrospective DUR program in federal fiscal years 2014 and 2015. For each state, the cost-savings methodologies included in the Medicaid DUR 2014 and 2015 reports were downloaded from Medicaid's website. The reports were then reviewed and synthesized. Methods described by the states were classified according to research designs often described in evaluation textbooks. In 2014, the most often used prescription drugs cost-savings estimation methodology for the Medicaid retrospective DUR program was a simple pre-post intervention method, without a comparison group (ie, 12 states). In 2015, the most common methodology used was a pre-post intervention method, with a comparison group (ie, 14 states). Comparisons of savings attributed to the program among states are still unreliable, because of a lack of a common methodology available for measuring cost-savings. There is great variation among states in the methods used to measure prescription drug utilization cost-savings. This analysis suggests that there is still room for improvement in terms of

Drug formularies--good or evil? A view using prescribing analyses and cost trends data.

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Chapman, S

1994-01-01

In the UK, the drugs bill has almost trebled in the last 10 years and is consuming an increasing proportion of the total National Health Service spend. If the drugs bill can be limited, greater funds will be available for other areas of the health service. Therefore, cost containment measures which include prescribing from a formulary or generic prescribing are now widely encouraged. Prescribing analyses and cost trends data generated from pharmacists sending dispensed general practitioners' prescriptions to a central point for reimbursement are a valuable tool in the assessment of prescribing habits and can be used by general practitioners when preparing a formulary. In the West Midlands, such data have been used to identify areas of growth in cardiovascular drugs and problem areas where prescribing an expensive formulation has led to a dramatic increase in costs.

Evolution of antiretroviral drug costs in Brazil in the context of free and universal access to AIDS treatment.

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Nunn, Amy S; Fonseca, Elize M; Bastos, Francisco I; Gruskin, Sofia; Salomon, Joshua A

2007-11-13

Little is known about the long-term drug costs associated with treating AIDS in developing countries. Brazil's AIDS treatment program has been cited widely as the developing world's largest and most successful AIDS treatment program. The program guarantees free access to highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) for all people living with HIV/AIDS in need of treatment. Brazil produces non-patented generic antiretroviral drugs (ARVs), procures many patented ARVs with negotiated price reductions, and recently issued a compulsory license to import one patented ARV. In this study, we investigate the drivers of recent ARV cost trends in Brazil through analysis of drug-specific prices and expenditures between 2001 and 2005. We compared Brazil's ARV prices to those in other low- and middle-income countries. We analyzed trends in drug expenditures for HAART in Brazil from 2001 to 2005 on the basis of cost data disaggregated by each ARV purchased by the Brazilian program. We decomposed the overall changes in expenditures to compare the relative impacts of changes in drug prices and drug purchase quantities. We also estimated the excess costs attributable to the difference between prices for generics in Brazil and the lowest global prices for these drugs. Finally, we estimated the savings attributable to Brazil's reduced prices for patented drugs. Negotiated drug prices in Brazil are lowest for patented ARVs for which generic competition is emerging. In recent years, the prices for efavirenz and lopinavir-ritonavir (lopinavir/r) have been lower in Brazil than in other middle-income countries. In contrast, the price of tenofovir is US$200 higher per patient per year than that reported in other middle-income countries. Despite precipitous price declines for four patented ARVs, total Brazilian drug expenditures doubled, to reach US$414 million in 2005. We find that the major driver of cost increases was increased purchase quantities of six specific drugs: patented lopinavir

Evolution of antiretroviral drug costs in Brazil in the context of free and universal access to AIDS treatment.

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Amy S Nunn

2007-11-01

Full Text Available Little is known about the long-term drug costs associated with treating AIDS in developing countries. Brazil's AIDS treatment program has been cited widely as the developing world's largest and most successful AIDS treatment program. The program guarantees free access to highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART for all people living with HIV/AIDS in need of treatment. Brazil produces non-patented generic antiretroviral drugs (ARVs, procures many patented ARVs with negotiated price reductions, and recently issued a compulsory license to import one patented ARV. In this study, we investigate the drivers of recent ARV cost trends in Brazil through analysis of drug-specific prices and expenditures between 2001 and 2005.We compared Brazil's ARV prices to those in other low- and middle-income countries. We analyzed trends in drug expenditures for HAART in Brazil from 2001 to 2005 on the basis of cost data disaggregated by each ARV purchased by the Brazilian program. We decomposed the overall changes in expenditures to compare the relative impacts of changes in drug prices and drug purchase quantities. We also estimated the excess costs attributable to the difference between prices for generics in Brazil and the lowest global prices for these drugs. Finally, we estimated the savings attributable to Brazil's reduced prices for patented drugs. Negotiated drug prices in Brazil are lowest for patented ARVs for which generic competition is emerging. In recent years, the prices for efavirenz and lopinavir-ritonavir (lopinavir/r have been lower in Brazil than in other middle-income countries. In contrast, the price of tenofovir is US$200 higher per patient per year than that reported in other middle-income countries. Despite precipitous price declines for four patented ARVs, total Brazilian drug expenditures doubled, to reach US$414 million in 2005. We find that the major driver of cost increases was increased purchase quantities of six specific drugs

A Health Economics Approach to US Value Assessment Frameworks-Introduction: An ISPOR Special Task Force Report [1].

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Neumann, Peter J; Willke, Richard J; Garrison, Louis P

2018-02-01

Concerns about rising spending on prescription drugs and other areas of health care have led to multiple initiatives in the United States designed to measure and communicate the value of pharmaceuticals and other technologies for decision making. In this section we introduce the work of the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research Special Task Force on US Value Assessment Frameworks formed to review relevant perspectives and appropriate approaches and methods to support the definition and use of high-quality value frameworks. The Special Task Force was part of the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research Initiative on US Value Assessment Frameworks, which enlisted the expertise of leading health economists, concentrating on what the field of health economics can provide to help inform the development and use of value assessment frameworks. We focus on five value framework initiatives: the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association, the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review, the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and the National Comprehensive Cancer Network. These entities differ in their missions, scope of activities, and methodological approaches. Because they are gaining visibility and some traction in the United States, it is essential to scrutinize whether the frameworks use approaches that are transparent as well as conceptually and methodologically sound. Our objectives were to describe the conceptual bases for value and its use in decision making, critically examine existing value frameworks, discuss the importance of sound conceptual underpinning, identify key elements of value relevant to specific decision contexts, and recommend good practice in value definition and implementation as well as areas for further research. Copyright © 2018 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc

Australian governments' spending on preventing and responding to drug abuse should target the main sources of drug-related harm and the most cost-effective interventions.

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McDonald, David

2011-01-01

A notable feature of Australian drug policy is the limited public and professional attention given to the financial costs of drug abuse and to the levels and patterns of government expenditures incurred in preventing and responding to this. Since 1991, Collins and Lapsley have published scholarly reports documenting the social costs of drug abuse in Australia and their reports also contain estimates of governments' drug budgets: revenue and expenditures. They show that, in 2004-2005, Australian governments expended at least $5288 million on drug abuse, with 50% of the expenditure directed to preventing and dealing with alcohol-related problems, 45% to illicit drugs and just 5% to tobacco. Some 60% of the expenditure was directed at drug crime and 37% at health interventions. This pattern of resource allocation does not adequately reflect an evidence-informed policy orientation in that it largely fails to focus on the drug types that are the sources of the most harm (tobacco and alcohol rather than illicit drugs), and the sectors for which we have the strongest evidence of the cost-effectiveness of the available interventions (treatment and harm reduction rather than legislation and law enforcement). The 2010-2014 phase of Australia's National Drug Strategy should include incremental changes to the resource allocation mix, and not simply maintain the historical resource allocation formulae. © 2010 Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs.

Cost-Effectiveness of First-Line Sevelamer and Lanthanum versus Calcium-Based Binders for Hyperphosphatemia of Chronic Kidney Disease.

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Habbous, Steven; Przech, Sebastian; Martin, Janet; Garg, Amit X; Sarma, Sisira

2018-03-01

Phosphate binders are used to treat hyperphosphatemia among patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). To conduct an economic evaluation comparing calcium-free binders sevelamer and lanthanum with calcium-based binders for patients with CKD. Effectiveness data were obtained from a recent meta-analysis of randomized trials. Effectiveness was measured as life-years gained and translated to quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) using utility weights from the literature. A Markov model consisting of non-dialysis-dependent (NDD)-CKD, dialysis-dependent (DD)-CKD, and death was developed to estimate the incremental costs and effects of sevelamer and lanthanum versus those of calcium-based binders. A lifetime horizon was used and both costs and effects were discounted at 1.5%. All costs are presented in 2015 Canadian dollars from the Canadian public payer perspective. Results of probabilistic sensitivity analysis were presented using cost-effectiveness acceptability curves. Sensitivity analyses were conducted for risk pooling methods, omission of dialysis costs, and persistence of drug effects on mortality. Sevelamer resulted in an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of $106,522/QALY for NDD-CKD and $133,847/QALY for DD-CKD cohorts. Excluding dialysis costs, sevelamer was cost-effective in the NDD-CKD cohort ($5,847/QALY) and the DD-CKD cohort ($11,178/QALY). Lanthanum was dominated regardless of whether dialysis costs were included. Existing evidence does not clearly support the cost-effectiveness of non-calcium-containing phosphate binders (sevelamer and lanthanum) relative to calcium-containing phosphate binders in DD-CKD patients. Our study suggests that sevelamer may be cost-effective before dialysis onset. Because of the remaining uncertainty in several clinically relevant outcomes over time in DD-CKD and NDD-CKD patients, further research is encouraged. Copyright © 2018 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier

Content validity--establishing and reporting the evidence in newly developed patient-reported outcomes (PRO) instruments for medical product evaluation: ISPOR PRO good research practices task force report: part 1--eliciting concepts for a new PRO instrument.

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Patrick, Donald L; Burke, Laurie B; Gwaltney, Chad J; Leidy, Nancy Kline; Martin, Mona L; Molsen, Elizabeth; Ring, Lena

2011-12-01

The importance of content validity in developing patient reported outcomes (PRO) instruments is stressed by both the US Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency. Content validity is the extent to which an instrument measures the important aspects of concepts that developers or users purport it to assess. A PRO instrument measures the concepts most significant and relevant to a patient's condition and its treatment. For PRO instruments, items and domains as reflected in the scores of an instrument should be important to the target population and comprehensive with respect to patient concerns. Documentation of target population input in item generation, as well as evaluation of patient understanding through cognitive interviewing, can provide the evidence for content validity. Developing content for, and assessing respondent understanding of, newly developed PRO instruments for medical product evaluation will be discussed in this two-part ISPOR PRO Good Research Practices Task Force Report. Topics include the methods for generating items, documenting item development, coding of qualitative data from item generation, cognitive interviewing, and tracking item development through the various stages of research and preparing this tracking for submission to regulatory agencies. Part 1 covers elicitation of key concepts using qualitative focus groups and/or interviews to inform content and structure of a new PRO instrument. Part 2 covers the instrument development process, the assessment of patient understanding of the draft instrument using cognitive interviews and steps for instrument revision. The two parts are meant to be read together. They are intended to offer suggestions for good practices in planning, executing, and documenting qualitative studies that are used to support the content validity of PRO instruments to be used in medical product evaluation. Copyright © 2011 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR

Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Atorvastatin versus Rosuvastatin in Primary and Secondary Cardiovascular Prevention Populations in Brazil and Columbia.

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Mould-Quevedo, Joaquín F; Gutiérrez-Ardila, Magda Vianey; Ordóñez Molina, Jaime Eduardo; Pinsky, Brett; Vargas Zea, Nicolás

2014-12-01

Latin America has witnessed a marked increase in cardiovascular (CV) disease, the leading cause of death in many countries. The benefits of lipid-lowering therapy to reduce CV-related events are widely accepted. Clinical evidence suggests that rosuvastatin is associated with slightly greater reductions in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels than is atorvastatin at comparable doses. Rosuvastatin, however, is often priced at a premium. Our objective was to examine the cost-effectiveness of using atorvastatin versus rosuvastatin in reducing CV events in Brazil and Colombia using real-world prices. A global Markov cohort model of primary and secondary CV prevention was developed and adapted to Brazilian and Colombian settings. The risks and costs of major CV events and efficacy, adherence, and costs of statins were considered. Total gains in life-years, quality-adjusted life-years, major CV events avoided, and costs over the lifetime horizon were estimated. Several dose comparisons were considered. In the Colombian analyses, differences in drug costs between therapies were considerable while outcomes were similar. The incremental cost per quality-adjusted life-year gained for rosuvastatin versus atorvastatin was more than $700,000 and $200,000 in primary and secondary prevention, respectively. Brazilian analyses found lower incremental cost-effectiveness ratios for rosuvastatin at some dose comparisons due to similar pricing between statins. Sensitivity analyses revealed that changes in treatment efficacy and adherence had the largest impact on results. In primary and secondary CV prevention, the efficacy advantage of rosuvastatin was minimal, while its acquisition cost was higher, particularly in Colombia. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratios were, therefore, generally in favor of atorvastatin being the cost-effective option. Copyright © 2014 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights

The international pharmaceutical market as a source of low-cost prescription drugs for U.S. patients.

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Kesselheim, Aaron S; Choudhry, Niteesh K

2008-04-15

In response to increasing prescription drug costs, more U.S. patients and policymakers are importing less-expensive pharmaceutical products from other countries. Large-scale prescription drug importation is currently illegal, but the U.S. Food and Drug Administration permits individuals to bring in 90-day supplies of drugs for personal use. As patient use of foreign-bought drugs has increased, federal legislators have continued to debate the full legalization of importation. Three factors help guide whether U.S. patients and policymakers can rely on other countries as sources of imported prescription drugs: whether the safety of the product can be ensured, how the import price compares with domestic prices, and how importation might affect the exporting country's pharmaceutical market. In wealthier countries with active regulatory systems, drug safety can be adequately ensured, and brand-name products are usually less expensive than in the United States (although generic drugs may be more expensive). However, implementing large-scale importation can negatively impact the originating country's market and can diminish the long-term cost savings for U.S. consumers. In low- and middle-income countries, prices may be reduced for both brand-name and generic drugs, but the prevalence of unauthorized products on the market makes ensuring drug safety more difficult. It may be reasonable for individual U.S. consumers to purchase essential medicines from certain international markets, but the most effective way to decrease drug costs overall is the appropriate use of domestic generic drugs, which are available for almost every major therapeutic class.

CETA and pharmaceuticals: impact of the trade agreement between Europe and Canada on the costs of prescription drugs.

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Lexchin, Joel; Gagnon, Marc-André

2014-05-06

On a per capita basis, Canadian drug costs are already the second highest in the world after the United States and are among the fastest rising in the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development. The Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) between the European Union (EU) and Canada will further exacerbate the rise in costs by:  Committing Canada to creating a new system of patent term restoration thereby delaying entry of generic medicines by up to two years; Locking in Canada's current term of data protection, and creating barriers for future governments wanting to reverse it;  Implementing a new right of appeal under the patent linkage system that will create further delays for the entry of generics.CETA will only affect intellectual property rights in Canada-not the EU. This analysis estimates that CETA's provisions will increase Canadian drug costs by between 6.2% and 12.9% starting in 2023. The Canadian government committed to compensating provinces for the rise in costs for their public drug plans. Importantly, this means that people paying out-of-pocket for their drugs or receiving them through private insurance, will be charged twice: once through higher drug costs and once more through their federal taxes.As drug costs continue to grow, there are limited options available for provincial/territorial governments: restrict the choice of medicines in public drug plans; transfer costs to patients who typically are either elderly or sick; or take money from other places in the health system, and threaten the viability of Canada's single payer system. CETA will therefore negatively impact the ability of Canada to offer quality health care.

Drug waste minimisation and cost-containment in Medical Oncology: Two-year results of a feasibility study

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Mansutti Mauro

2008-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Cost-containment strategies are required to face the challenge of rising drug expenditures in Oncology. Drug wastage leads to economic loss, but little is known about the size of the problem in this field. Methods Starting January 2005 we introduced a day-to-day monitoring of drug wastage and an accurate assessment of its costs. An internal protocol for waste minimisation was developed, consisting of four corrective measures: 1. A rational, per pathology distribution of chemotherapy sessions over the week. 2. The use of multi-dose vials. 3. A reasonable rounding of drug dosages. 4. The selection of the most convenient vial size, depending on drug unit pricing. Results Baseline analysis focused on 29 drugs over one year. Considering their unit price and waste amount, a major impact on expense was found to be attributable to six drugs: cetuximab, docetaxel, gemcitabine, oxaliplatin, pemetrexed and trastuzumab. The economic loss due to their waste equaled 4.8% of the annual drug expenditure. After the study protocol was started, the expense due to unused drugs showed a meaningful 45% reduction throughout 2006. Conclusion Our experience confirms the economic relevance of waste minimisation and may represent a feasible model in addressing this issue. A centralised unit of drug processing, the availability of a computerised physician order entry system and an active involvement of the staff play a key role in allowing waste reduction and a consequent, substantial cost-saving.

Prescription drugs in nursing homes: managing costs and quality in a complex environment.

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Mendelson, Dan; Ramchand, Rajeev; Abramson, Richard; Tumlinson, Anne

2002-11-12

This brief provides a description of prescription drug use in nursing homes and a summary of current policy issues in this area. The brief first profiles the nursing home pharmaceutical market, outlining the major trends in demographics and drug utilization, the supply chain by which drugs go from manufacturers to pharmacies to nursing home residents, and the alternative arrangements by which prescription drugs in nursing homes are financed. The brief then provides a synopsis of current policy issues, focusing in turn on cost containment and quality improvement initiatives.

Modeling good research practices--overview: a report of the ISPOR-SMDM Modeling Good Research Practices Task Force-1.

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Caro, J Jaime; Briggs, Andrew H; Siebert, Uwe; Kuntz, Karen M

2012-01-01

Models-mathematical frameworks that facilitate estimation of the consequences of health care decisions-have become essential tools for health technology assessment. Evolution of the methods since the first ISPOR modeling task force reported in 2003 has led to a new task force, jointly convened with the Society for Medical Decision Making, and this series of seven papers presents the updated recommendations for best practices in conceptualizing models; implementing state-transition approaches, discrete event simulations, or dynamic transmission models; dealing with uncertainty; and validating and reporting models transparently. This overview introduces the work of the task force, provides all the recommendations, and discusses some quandaries that require further elucidation. The audience for these papers includes those who build models, stakeholders who utilize their results, and, indeed, anyone concerned with the use of models to support decision making.

Persistence of transmitted HIV-1 drug resistance mutations associated with fitness costs and viral genetic backgrounds.

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Wan-Lin Yang

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Transmission of drug-resistant pathogens presents an almost-universal challenge for fighting infectious diseases. Transmitted drug resistance mutations (TDRM can persist in the absence of drugs for considerable time. It is generally believed that differential TDRM-persistence is caused, at least partially, by variations in TDRM-fitness-costs. However, in vivo epidemiological evidence for the impact of fitness costs on TDRM-persistence is rare. Here, we studied the persistence of TDRM in HIV-1 using longitudinally-sampled nucleotide sequences from the Swiss-HIV-Cohort-Study (SHCS. All treatment-naïve individuals with TDRM at baseline were included. Persistence of TDRM was quantified via reversion rates (RR determined with interval-censored survival models. Fitness costs of TDRM were estimated in the genetic background in which they occurred using a previously published and validated machine-learning algorithm (based on in vitro replicative capacities and were included in the survival models as explanatory variables. In 857 sequential samples from 168 treatment-naïve patients, 17 TDRM were analyzed. RR varied substantially and ranged from 174.0/100-person-years;CI=[51.4, 588.8] (for 184V to 2.7/100-person-years;[0.7, 10.9] (for 215D. RR increased significantly with fitness cost (increase by 1.6[1.3,2.0] per standard deviation of fitness costs. When subdividing fitness costs into the average fitness cost of a given mutation and the deviation from the average fitness cost of a mutation in a given genetic background, we found that both components were significantly associated with reversion-rates. Our results show that the substantial variations of TDRM persistence in the absence of drugs are associated with fitness-cost differences both among mutations and among different genetic backgrounds for the same mutation.

Cost-Effectiveness Model for Chemoimmunotherapy Options in Patients with Previously Untreated Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Unsuitable for Full-Dose Fludarabine-Based Therapy.

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Becker, Ursula; Briggs, Andrew H; Moreno, Santiago G; Ray, Joshua A; Ngo, Phuong; Samanta, Kunal

2016-06-01

To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of treatment with anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody obinutuzumab plus chlorambucil (GClb) in untreated patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia unsuitable for full-dose fludarabine-based therapy. A Markov model was used to assess the cost-effectiveness of GClb versus other chemoimmunotherapy options. The model comprised three mutually exclusive health states: "progression-free survival (with/without therapy)", "progression (refractory/relapsed lines)", and "death". Each state was assigned a health utility value representing patients' quality of life and a specific cost value. Comparisons between GClb and rituximab plus chlorambucil or only chlorambucil were performed using patient-level clinical trial data; other comparisons were performed via a network meta-analysis using information gathered in a systematic literature review. To support the model, a utility elicitation study was conducted from the perspective of the UK National Health Service. There was good agreement between the model-predicted progression-free and overall survival and that from the CLL11 trial. On incorporating data from the indirect treatment comparisons, it was found that GClb was cost-effective with a range of incremental cost-effectiveness ratios below a threshold of £30,000 per quality-adjusted life-year gained, and remained so during deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analyses under various scenarios. GClb was estimated to increase both quality-adjusted life expectancy and treatment costs compared with several commonly used therapies, with incremental cost-effectiveness ratios below commonly referenced UK thresholds. This article offers a real example of how to combine direct and indirect evidence in a cost-effectiveness analysis of oncology drugs. Copyright © 2016 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

[Non-antiretroviral drugs uses among HIV-infected persons receiving antiretroviral therapy in Senegal: Costs and factors associated with prescription].

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Diouf, A; Youbong, T J; Maynart, M; Ndoye, M; Diéye, F L; Ndiaye, N A; Koita-Fall, M B; Ndiaye, B; Seydi, M

2017-08-01

In addition to antiretroviral therapy, non-antiretroviral drugs are necessary for the appropriate care of people living with HIV. The costs of such drugs are totally or partially supported by the people living with HIV. We aimed to evaluate the overall costs, the costs supported by the people living with HIV and factors associated with the prescription of non-antiretroviral drugs in people living with HIV on antiretroviral therapy in Senegal. We conducted a retrospective cohort study on 331 people living with HIV who initiated antiretroviral therapy between 2009 and 2011 and followed until March 2012. The costs of non-antiretroviral drugs were those of the national pharmacy for essential drugs; otherwise they were the lowest costs in the private pharmacies. Associated factors were identified through a logistic regression model. The study population was 61 % female. At baseline, 39 % of patients were classified at WHO clinical stage 3 and 40 % at WHO clinical stage 4. Median age, body mass index and CD4 cells count were 41 years, 18kg/m 2  and 93 cells/μL, respectively. After a mean duration of 11.4 months of antiretroviral therapy, 85 % of patients received at least one prescription for a non-antiretroviral drug. Over the entire study period, the most frequently prescribed non-antiretroviral drugs were cotrimoxazole (78.9 % of patients), iron (33.2 %), vitamins (21.1 %) and antibiotics (19.6 %). The mean cost per patient was 34 Euros and the mean cost supported per patient was 14 Euros. The most expensive drugs per treated patient were antihypertensives (168 Euros), anti-ulcer agents (12 Euros), vitamins (8.5 Euros) and antihistamines (7 Euros). The prescription for a non-antiretroviral drug was associated with advanced clinical stage (WHO clinical stage 3/4 versus stage 1/2): OR=2.25; 95 % CI=1.11-4.57 and viral type (HIV-2 versus HIV-1/HIV-1+HIV-2): OR=0.36; 95 % CI=0.14-0.89. Non-antiretroviral drugs are frequently prescribed to

Money Matters: Cost-Effectiveness of Juvenile Drug Court with and without Evidence-Based Treatments

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Sheidow, Ashli J.; Jayawardhana, Jayani; Bradford, W. David; Henggeler, Scott W.; Shapiro, Steven B.

2012-01-01

The 12-month cost-effectiveness of juvenile drug court and evidence-based treatments within court were compared with traditional Family Court for 128 substance-abusing/dependent juvenile offenders participating in a 4-condition randomized trial. Intervention conditions included Family Court with community services (FC), Drug Court with community…

Cost-offsets of prescription drug expenditures: data analysis via a copula-based bivariate dynamic hurdle model.

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Deb, Partha; Trivedi, Pravin K; Zimmer, David M

2014-10-01

In this paper, we estimate a copula-based bivariate dynamic hurdle model of prescription drug and nondrug expenditures to test the cost-offset hypothesis, which posits that increased expenditures on prescription drugs are offset by reductions in other nondrug expenditures. We apply the proposed methodology to data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, which have the following features: (i) the observed bivariate outcomes are a mixture of zeros and continuously measured positives; (ii) both the zero and positive outcomes show state dependence and inter-temporal interdependence; and (iii) the zeros and the positives display contemporaneous association. The point mass at zero is accommodated using a hurdle or a two-part approach. The copula-based approach to generating joint distributions is appealing because the contemporaneous association involves asymmetric dependence. The paper studies samples categorized by four health conditions: arthritis, diabetes, heart disease, and mental illness. There is evidence of greater than dollar-for-dollar cost-offsets of expenditures on prescribed drugs for relatively low levels of spending on drugs and less than dollar-for-dollar cost-offsets at higher levels of drug expenditures. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Incorporating social justice and stigma in cost-effectiveness analysis: drug-resistant tuberculosis treatment.

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Zwerling, A; Dowdy, D; von Delft, A; Taylor, H; Merritt, M W

2017-11-01

Novel therapies for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) are likely to be expensive. The cost of novel drugs (e.g., bedaquiline, delamanid) may be so prohibitively high that a traditional cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) would rate regimens containing these drugs as not cost-effective. Traditional CEA may not appropriately account for considerations of social justice, and may put the most disadvantaged populations at greater risk. Using the example of novel drug regimens for MDR-TB, we propose a novel methodology, 'justice-enhanced CEA', and demonstrate how such an approach can simultaneously assess social justice impacts alongside traditional cost-effectiveness ratios. Justice-enhanced CEA, as we envision it, is performed in three steps: 1) systematic data collection about patients' lived experiences, 2) use of empirical findings to inform social justice assessments, and 3) incorporation of data-informed social justice assessments into a decision analytic framework that includes traditional CEA. These components are organized around a core framework of social justice developed by Bailey et al. to compare impacts on disadvantage not otherwise captured by CEA. Formal social justice assessments can produce three composite levels: 'expected not to worsen…', 'may worsen…', and 'expected to worsen clustering of disadvantage'. Levels of social justice impact would be assessed for each major type of outcome under each policy scenario compared. Social justice assessments are then overlaid side-by-side with cost-effectiveness assessments corresponding to each branch pathway on the decision tree. In conclusion, we present a 'justice-enhanced' framework that enables the incorporation of social justice concerns into traditional CEA for the evaluation of new regimens for MDR-TB.

Relation between cost of drug treatment and body mass index in people with type 2 diabetes in Latin America.

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Elgart, Jorge Federico; Prestes, Mariana; Gonzalez, Lorena; Rucci, Enzo; Gagliardino, Juan Jose

2017-01-01

Despite the frequent association of obesity with type 2 diabetes (T2D), the effect of the former on the cost of drug treatment of the latest has not been specifically addressed. We studied the association of overweight/obesity on the cost of drug treatment of hyperglycemia, hypertension and dyslipidemia in a population with T2D. This observational study utilized data from the QUALIDIAB database on 3,099 T2D patients seen in Diabetes Centers in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Peru, and Venezuela. Data were grouped according to body mass index (BMI) as Normal (18.5≤BMI<25), Overweight (25≤BMI<30), and Obese (BMI≥30). Thereafter, we assessed clinical and metabolic data and cost of drug treatment in each category. Statistical analyses included group comparisons for continuous variables (parametric or non-parametric tests), Chi-square tests for differences between proportions, and multivariable regression analysis to assess the association between BMI and monthly cost of drug treatment. Although all groups showed comparable degree of glycometabolic control (FBG, HbA1c), we found significant differences in other metabolic control indicators. Total cost of drug treatment of hyperglycemia and associated cardiovascular risk factors (CVRF) increased significantly (p<0.001) with increment of BMI. Hyperglycemia treatment cost showed a significant increase concordant with BMI whereas hypertension and dyslipidemia did not. Despite different values and percentages of increase, this growing cost profile was reproduced in every participating country. BMI significantly and independently affected hyperglycemia treatment cost. Our study shows for the first time that BMI significantly increases total expenditure on drugs for T2D and its associated CVRF treatment in Latin America.

Doctors commitment and long-term effectiveness for cost containment policies: lesson learned from biosimilar drugs

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Menditto E

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Enrica Menditto,1 Valentina Orlando,1 Silvia Coretti,2 Daria Putignano,1 Denise Fiorentino,1 Matteo Ruggeri2 1CIRFF, Center of Pharmacoeconomics, Federico II University of Naples, Naples, 2Postgraduate School of Health Economics and Management (ALTEMS, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, School of Economics, Rome, Italy Background: Agency is a pervasive feature of the health care market, with doctors acting as agents for both patients and the health care system. In a context of scarce resources, doctors are required to take opportunity cost into account when prescribing treatments, while cost containment policies cannot overlook their active role in determining health care resource allocation. This paper addresses this issue, investigating the effects of cost containment measures in the market of biosimilar drugs that represent a viable and cost-saving strategy for the reduction of health care expenditure. The analysis focuses on a particular region in Italy, where several timely policies to incentivize biosimilar prescribing were launched. Methods: Drugs were identified by the anatomical therapeutic chemical classification system. Information about biosimilar drugs and their originator biological products was extracted from the IMS Health regional database. Drug consumption was expressed in terms of counting units, while expenditure was evaluated in Euro (€.The market penetration of biosimilars was analyzed by year and quarterly. Results: In the Campania region of Italy, the effects of cost containment policies, launched between 2009 and 2013, showed the prescription of biosimilars strongly increasing in 2010 until prescribing levels reached and exceeded the market share of the reference biological products in 2012. After a slight reduction, a plateau was observed at the beginning of 2013. At the same time, the use of the originator products had been decreasing until the first quarter of 2011. However, after a 1-year plateau, this trend

Economic evaluation and the Jordan Rational Drug List: an exploratory study of national-level priority setting.

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Lafi, Rania; Robinson, Suzanne; Williams, Iestyn

2012-01-01

To explore the extent of and barriers to the use of economic evaluation in compiling the Jordan Rational Drug List in the health care system of Jordan. The research reported in this article involved a case study of the Jordan Rational Drug List. Data collection methods included semi-structured interviews with decision makers and analysis of secondary documentary sources. The case study was supplemented by additional interviews with a small number of Jordanian academics involved in the production of economic evaluation. The research found that there was no formal requirement for cost-effectiveness information submitted as part of the decision-making process for the inclusion of new technologies on the Jordan Rational Drug List. Both decision makers and academics suggested that economic evidence was not influential in formulary decisions. This is unusual for national formulary bodies. The study identified a number of barriers that prevent substantive and routine use of economic evaluation. While some of these echo findings of previous studies, others-notably the extent to which the sectional interests of clinical groups and commercial (pharmaceutical) industry exert undue influence over decision making-more obviously result from the specific Jordanian context. Economic evaluation was not found to be influential in the Jordan Rational Drug List. Recommendations for improvement include enhancing capacity in relation to generating, accessing, and/or applying health economic analysis to priority setting decisions. There is a further need to incentivize the use of economic evaluation, and this requires that organizational and structural impediments be removed. Copyright © 2012 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Heterogeneous Costs of Alcohol and Drug Problems Across Cities and Counties in California

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Miller, Ted R.; Nygaard, Peter; Gaidus, Andrew; Grube, Joel W.; Ponicki, William R.; Lawrence, Bruce A.; Gruenewald, Paul J.

2017-01-01

Background Estimates of economic and social costs related to alcohol and other drug (AOD) use and abuse are usually made at state and national levels. Ecological analyses demonstrate, however, that substantial variations exist in the incidence and prevalence of AOD use and problems including impaired driving, violence, and chronic disease between smaller geopolitical units like counties and cities. This study examines the ranges of these costs across counties and cities in California. Methods We used estimates of the incidence and prevalence of AOD use, abuse and related problems to calculate costs in 2010 dollars for all 58 counties and an ecological sample of 50 cities with populations between 50,000 and 500,000 persons in California. The estimates were built from archival and public-use survey data collected at state, county and city-levels over the years from 2009 to 2010. Results Costs related to alcohol use and related problems exceeded those related to illegal drugs across all counties and most cities in the study. Substantial heterogeneities in costs were observed between cities within counties. Conclusions AOD costs are heterogeneously distributed across counties and cities, reflecting the degree to which different populations are engaged in use and abuse across the state. These findings provide a strong argument for the distribution of treatment and prevention resources proportional to need. PMID:28208210

The impact of reference pricing of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents on the use and costs of analgesic drugs.

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Grootendorst, Paul V; Marshall, John K; Holbrook, Anne M; Dolovich, Lisa R; O'Brien, Bernie J; Levy, Adrian R

2005-10-01

To estimate the effect of reference pricing (RP) of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) on drug subsidy program and beneficiary expenditures on analgesic drugs. Monthly claims data from Pharmacare, the public drug subsidy program for seniors in British Columbia, Canada, over the period of February 1993 to June 2001. RP limits drug plan reimbursement of interchangeable medicines to a reference price, which is typically equal to the price of the lowest cost interchangeable drug; any cost above that is borne by the patient. Pharmacare introduced two different forms of RP to the NSAIDs, Type 1 in April 1994 and Type 2 in November 1995. Under Type 1 RP, generic and brand versions of the same NSAID are considered interchangeable, whereas under Type 2 RP different NSAIDs are considered interchangeable. We extrapolated average reimbursement per day of NSAID therapy over the months before RP to estimate what expenditures would have been without the policies. These counterfactual predictions were compared with actual values to estimate the impact of the policies; the estimated impacts on reimbursement rates were multiplied by the postpolicy volume of NSAIDS dispensed, which appeared unaffected by the policies, to estimate expenditure changes. After Type 2 RP, program expenditures declined by $22.7 million (CAN), or $4 million (CAN), annually cutting expenditure by about half. Most savings accrued from the substitution of low-cost NSAIDs for more costly alternatives. About 20 percent of savings represented expenditures by seniors who elected to pay for partially reimbursed drugs. Type 1 RP produced one-quarter the savings of type 2 RP. Type 2 RP of NSAIDs achieved its goal of reducing drug expenditures and was more effective than Type 1 RP. The effects of RP on patient health and associated health care costs remain to be investigated.

Doctors commitment and long-term effectiveness for cost containment policies: lesson learned from biosimilar drugs.

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Menditto, Enrica; Orlando, Valentina; Coretti, Silvia; Putignano, Daria; Fiorentino, Denise; Ruggeri, Matteo

2015-01-01

Agency is a pervasive feature of the health care market, with doctors acting as agents for both patients and the health care system. In a context of scarce resources, doctors are required to take opportunity cost into account when prescribing treatments, while cost containment policies cannot overlook their active role in determining health care resource allocation. This paper addresses this issue, investigating the effects of cost containment measures in the market of biosimilar drugs that represent a viable and cost-saving strategy for the reduction of health care expenditure. The analysis focuses on a particular region in Italy, where several timely policies to incentivize biosimilar prescribing were launched. Drugs were identified by the anatomical therapeutic chemical classification system. Information about biosimilar drugs and their originator biological products was extracted from the IMS Health regional database. Drug consumption was expressed in terms of counting units, while expenditure was evaluated in Euro (€). The market penetration of biosimilars was analyzed by year and quarterly. In the Campania region of Italy, the effects of cost containment policies, launched between 2009 and 2013, showed the prescription of biosimilars strongly increasing in 2010 until prescribing levels reached and exceeded the market share of the reference biological products in 2012. After a slight reduction, a plateau was observed at the beginning of 2013. At the same time, the use of the originator products had been decreasing until the first quarter of 2011. However, after a 1-year plateau, this trend was reversed, with a new increase in the consumption of the originators observed. Results show that the cost containment policies, applied to cut health expenditure "to cure and not to care", did not produce the cultural change necessary to make these policies effective in the long run. Therefore, top-down policies for cost containment are not successful; rather, a bottom

Resolving the "Cost-Effective but Unaffordable" Paradox: Estimating the Health Opportunity Costs of Nonmarginal Budget Impacts.

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Lomas, James; Claxton, Karl; Martin, Stephen; Soares, Marta

2018-03-01

Considering whether or not a proposed investment (an intervention, technology, or program of care) is affordable is really asking whether the benefits it offers are greater than its opportunity cost. To say that an investment is cost-effective but not affordable must mean that the (implicit or explicit) "threshold" used to judge cost-effectiveness does not reflect the scale and value of the opportunity costs. Existing empirical estimates of health opportunity costs are based on cross-sectional variation in expenditure and mortality outcomes by program budget categories (PBCs) and do not reflect the likely effect of nonmarginal budget impacts on health opportunity costs. The UK Department of Health regularly updates the needs-based target allocation of resources to local areas of the National Health Service (NHS), creating two subgroups of local areas (those under target allocation and those over). These data provide the opportunity to explore how the effects of changes in health care expenditure differ with available resources. We use 2008-2009 data to evaluate two econometric approaches to estimation and explore a range of criteria for accepting subgroup specific effects for differences in expenditure and outcome elasticities across the 23 PBCs. Our results indicate that health opportunity costs arising from an investment imposing net increases in expenditure are underestimated unless account is taken of likely nonmarginal effects. They also indicate the benefits (reduced health opportunity costs or increased value-based price of a technology) of being able to "smooth" these nonmarginal budget impacts by health care systems borrowing against future budgets or from manufacturers offering "mortgage" type arrangements. Copyright © 2018 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Cost Minimization Analysis of Hypnotic Drug: Target Controlled Inhalation Anesthesia (TCIA Sevoflurane and Target Controlled Infusion (TCI Propofol

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Made Wiryana

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Background: Cost minimization analysis is a pharmaco-economic study used to compare two or more health interventions that have been shown to have the same effect, similar or equivalent. With limited health insurance budget from the Indonesian National Social Security System implementation in 2015, the quality control and the drug cost are two important things that need to be focused. The application of pharmaco-economic study results in the selection and use of drugs more effectively and efficiently. Objective: To determine cost minimization analysis of hypnotic drug between a target controlled inhalation anesthesia (TCIA sevoflurane and a target controlled infusion (TCI propofol in patients underwent a major oncologic surgery in Sanglah General Hospital. Methods: Sixty ASA physical status I-II patients underwent major oncologic surgery were divided into two groups. Group A was using TCIA sevoflurane and group B using TCI propofol. Bispectral index monitor (BIS index was used to evaluate the depth of anesthesia. The statistical tests used are the Shapiro-Wilk test, Lavene test, Mann-Whitney U test and unpaired t-test (α = 0.05. The data analysis used the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS for Windows. Results: In this study, the rate of drug used per unit time in group A was 0.12 ml sevoflurane per minute (± 0.03 and the group B was 7.25 mg propofol per minute (±0.98. Total cost of hypnotic drug in group A was IDR598.43 (IQR 112.47 per minute, in group B was IDR703.27 (IQR 156.73 per minute (p>0.05. Conclusions: There was no statistically significant difference from the analysis of the drug cost minimization hypnotic drug in a major oncologic surgery using TCIA sevoflurane and TCI propofol.

Direct costs of managing adverse drug reactions during rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis treatment in South Africa.

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Schnippel, K; Firnhaber, C; Berhanu, R; Page-Shipp, L; Sinanovic, E

2018-04-01

To estimate the provider costs of managing adverse drug reactions (ADRs) to standard long-course treatment for multidrug- and rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis (MDR/RR-TB) according to South African guidelines. We parameterised a published Markov health state model for MDR/RR-TB with guidelines-based, bottom-up public-sector provider costing of ADR management. Frequency of ADR occurrence was extracted from the literature. Costs were estimated over 10 years, discounted 3% annually and tested using probabilistic sensitivity analysis. On average, guidelines-based costing of moderate ADRs weighted by the frequency of occurrence was US$135.76 (standard deviation [SD] US$17.18) and the cost of serious ADRs was US$521.29 (SD US$55.99). We estimated that the incremental costs of ADR management were US$380.17 annually per patient initiating MDR/RR-TB treatment. The incremental costs of ADR management for the public health sector in South Africa was US$4.76 million, 8.3% of the estimated cohort costs of MDR/RR-TB treatment ($57.55 million) for the 2015 cohort of 12 527 patients. Management of multiple ADRs and serious ADRs, which are common during the first 6 months of standard, long-course MDR/RR-TB treatment, substantially increases provider treatment costs. These results need to be taken into account when comparing regimen costs, and highlight the urgent need to identify drug regimens with improved safety profiles.

Cutting the cost of South African antiretroviral therapy using newer, safer drugs

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W F Venter

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Antiretrovirals are a significant cost driver for HIV programmes. Current first-line regimens have performed well in real-life programmes, but have a low barrier to virological resistance and still carry toxicity that limits adherence. New drug developments may mean that we have access to safer, more robust and cheaper regimens, but only if the appropriate clinical trials are conducted. We briefly discuss these trials, and demonstrate the large cost savings to the South African HIV programme if these are successful.

Drug-class-specific changes in the volume and cost of antidiabetic medications in Poland between 2012 and 2015.

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Śliwczyński, Andrzej; Brzozowska, Melania; Jacyna, Andrzej; Iltchev, Petre; Iwańczuk, Tymoteusz; Wierzba, Waldemar; Marczak, Michał; Orlewska, Katarzyna; Szymański, Piotr; Orlewska, Ewa

2017-01-01

to investigate the drug-class-specific changes in the volume and cost of antidiabetic medications in Poland in 2012-2015. This retrospective analysis was conducted based on the National Health Fund database covering an entire Polish population. The volume of antidiabetic medications is reported according to ATC/DDD methodology, costs-in current international dollars, based on purchasing power parity. During a 4-year observational period the number of patients, consumption of antidiabetic drugs and costs increased by 17%, 21% and 20%, respectively. Biguanides are the basic diabetes medication with a 39% market share. The insulin market is still dominated by human insulins, new antidiabetics (incretins, thiazolidinediones) are practically absent. Insulins had the largest share in diabetes medications expenditures (67% in 2015). The increase in antidiabetic medications costs over the analysed period of time was mainly caused by the increased use of insulin analogues. The observed tendencies correspond to the evidence-based HTA recommendations. The reimbursement status, the ratio of cost to clinical outcomes and data on the long-term safety have a deciding impact on how a drug is used.

Opportunity cost of funding drugs for rare diseases: the cost-effectiveness of eculizumab in paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria.

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Coyle, Doug; Cheung, Matthew C; Evans, Gerald A

2014-11-01

Both ethical and economics concerns have been raised with respect to the funding of drugs for rare diseases. This article reports both the cost-effectiveness of eculizumab for the treatment of paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) and its associated opportunity costs. Analysis compared eculizumab plus current standard of care v. current standard of care from a publicly funded health care system perspective. A Markov model covered the major consequences of PNH and treatment. Cost-effectiveness was assessed in terms of the incremental cost per life year and per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) gained. Opportunity costs were assessed by the health gains foregone and the alternative uses for the additional resources. Eculizumab is associated with greater life years (1.13), QALYs (2.45), and costs (CAN$5.24 million). The incremental cost per life year and per QALY gained is CAN$4.62 million and CAN$2.13 million, respectively. Based on established thresholds, the opportunity cost of funding eculizumab is 102.3 discounted QALYs per patient funded. Sensitivity and subgroup analysis confirmed the robustness of the results. If the acquisition cost of eculizumab was reduced by 98.5%, it could be considered cost-effective. The nature of rare diseases means that data are often sparse for the conduct of economic evaluations. When data were limited, assumptions were made that biased results in favor of eculizumab. This study demonstrates the feasibility of conducting economic evaluations in the context of rare diseases. Eculizumab may provide substantive benefits to patients with PNH in terms of life expectancy and quality of life but at a high incremental cost and a substantial opportunity cost. Decision makers should fully consider the opportunity costs before making positive reimbursement decisions. © The Author(s) 2014.

Breast and prostate cancer productivity costs: a comparison of the human capital approach and the friction cost approach.

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Hanly, Paul; Timmons, Aileen; Walsh, Paul M; Sharp, Linda

2012-05-01

Productivity costs constitute a substantial proportion of the total societal costs associated with cancer. We compared the results of applying two different analytical methods--the traditional human capital approach (HCA) and the emerging friction cost approach (FCA)--to estimate breast and prostate cancer productivity costs in Ireland in 2008. Data from a survey of breast and prostate cancer patients were combined with population-level survival estimates and a national wage data set to calculate costs of temporary disability (cancer-related work absence), permanent disability (workforce departure, reduced working hours), and premature mortality. For breast cancer, productivity costs per person using the HCA were € 193,425 and those per person using the FCA were € 8,103; for prostate cancer, the comparable estimates were € 109,154 and € 8,205, respectively. The HCA generated higher costs for younger patients (breast cancer) because of greater lifetime earning potential. In contrast, the FCA resulted in higher productivity costs for older male patients (prostate cancer) commensurate with higher earning capacity over a shorter time period. Reduced working hours postcancer was a key driver of total HCA productivity costs. HCA costs were sensitive to assumptions about discount and growth rates. FCA costs were sensitive to assumptions about the friction period. The magnitude of the estimates obtained in this study illustrates the importance of including productivity costs when considering the economic impact of illness. Vastly different results emerge from the application of the HCA and the FCA, and this finding emphasizes the importance of choosing the study perspective carefully and being explicit about assumptions that underpin the methods. Copyright © 2012 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Comparison of the Cost-Effectiveness of Biologic Drugs Used for Moderate-to-Severe Psoriasis Treatment in the United States.

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Wu, Jashin J; Feldman, Steven R; Rastogi, Shipra; Menges, Brandy; Lingohr-Smith, Melissa; Lin, Jay

2018-04-16

To compare the cost-effectiveness of the newly approved biologic drug, brodalumab, with other commonly used biologics for the treatment of moderate-to-severe psoriasis in the U.S. An economic model was constructed in Excel to compare average costs to achieve Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) 75, 90, and 100 among moderate-to-severe psoriasis patients treated with biologics. Total annual costs to health plans associated with treatment with 5 different biologics were estimated and cost-effectiveness compared using the estimated average cost per PASI 75, PASI 90, and PASI 100. Total annual costs to a health plan per patient with adalimumab, brodalumab, ixekizumab, secukinumab, and ustekinumab were estimated at $51,246, $38,538, $65,484, $57,510, and $57,013. Mean annual treatment costs per PASI 75, 90, and 100 were the lowest for brodalumab, with the annual cost per PASI 75 for brodalumab, adalimumab, ixekizumab, secukinumab, and ustekinumab estimated at $48,782, $82,655, $77,957, $75,671, and $87,243, per PASI 90 at $51,383, $119,178, $94,904, $108,509, and $130,615, and per PASI 100 at $87,585, $284,702, $176,983, $205,393, and $366,645. Brodalumab, which had the lowest drug cost and high drug efficacy, was associated with the lowest cost per PASI 75, 90, and 100 among the biologics evaluated.

Market Exclusivity Time for Top Selling Originator Drugs in Canada: A Cohort Study.

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Lexchin, Joel

2017-09-01

This study looks at market exclusivity time for the top selling originator drugs in Canada. Total sales for drugs without competition were also calculated. A list of the top selling originator drugs by dollar sales from 2009 to 2015 inclusive, except for 2010, was compiled along with their annual sales. Health Canada databases were used to extract the following information: generic name, date of Notice of Compliance (NOC, date of marketing authorization), whether the product was a small molecule drug or a biologic, and date of NOC for a generic or biosimilar. Market exclusivity time was calculated in days for drugs. A total of 121 drugs were identified. There were 96 small molecule drugs (63 with a generic competitor and 33 with no generic competitor) and 25 biologics (none with a biosimilar competitor). The 63 drugs with a competitor had a mean market exclusivity time of 4478 days (12.3 years) (95% CI 4159-4798). The 58 drugs without competition had total annual sales of Can$8.59 billion and were on the market for a median of 5357 days (14.7 years) (interquartile range 3291-6679) as of January 31, 2017. Top selling originator drugs in Canada have a considerably longer period of market exclusivity than the 8 to 10 years that the research-based pharmaceutical industry claims. Copyright © 2017 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Incidence and cost estimate of treating pediatric adverse drug reactions in Lagos, Nigeria

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Kazeem Adeola Oshikoya

Full Text Available CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVES: Adverse drug reactions (ADRs may cause prolonged hospital admissions with high treatment costs. The burden of ADRs in children has never been evaluated in Nigeria. The incidence of pediatric ADRs and the estimated cost of treatment over an 18-month period were determined in this study. DESIGN AND SETTING: Prospective observational study on children admitted to the pediatric wards of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH in Nigeria, between July 2006 and December 2007. METHODS: Each patient was assessed for ADRs throughout admission. Medical and non-medical costs to the hospital and patient were estimated for each ADR by reviewing the medical and pharmacy bills, medical charts and diagnostic request forms and by interviewing the parents. Cost estimates were performed in 2007 naira (Nigeria currency from the perspectives of the hospital (government, service users (patients and society (bearers of the total costs attributable to treating ADRs. The total estimated cost was expressed in 2007 United States dollars (USD. RESULTS: Two thousand and four children were admitted during the study; 12 (0.6% were admitted because of ADRs and 23 (1.2% developed ADR(s during admission. Forty ADRs were suspected in these 35 patients and involved 53 medicines. Antibiotics (50% were the most suspected medicines. Approximately 1.83 million naira (USD 15,466.60 was expended to manage all the patients admitted due to ADRs. CONCLUSIONS: Treating pediatric ADRs was very expensive. Pediatric drug use policies in Nigeria need to be reviewed so as to discourage self-medication, polypharmacy prescription and sales of prescription medicines without prescription.

Persistence, switch rates, drug consumption and costs of biological treatment of rheumatoid arthritis: an observational study in Italy.

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Degli Esposti, Luca; Favalli, Ennio Giulio; Sangiorgi, Diego; Di Turi, Roberta; Farina, Giuseppina; Gambera, Marco; Ravasio, Roberto

2017-01-01

The aim of this analysis was to provide an estimate of drug utilization indicators (persistence, switch rate and drug consumption) on biologics and the corresponding costs (drugs, admissions and specialist care) incurred by the Italian National Health Service in the management of adult patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We conducted an observational retrospective cohort analysis using the administrative databases of three local health units. We considered all patients aged ≥18 years with a diagnosis of RA and at least one biologic drug prescription between January 2010 and December 2012 (recruitment period). Persistence was defined as maintenance over the last 3 months of the follow-up period of the same biological therapy administered at the index date. A switch was defined as the presence of a biological therapy other than that administered at the index date during the last 3 months of the follow-up period. Hospital admissions (with a diagnosis of RA or other RA-related diagnoses), specialist outpatient services, instrumental diagnostics and pharmaceutical consumption were assessed. The drug utilization analysis took into account only biologics with at least 90 patients on treatment at baseline (adalimumab n=144, etanercept n=236 and infliximab n=94). In each year, etanercept showed better persistence with initial treatment than adalimumab or infliximab. Etanercept was characterized by the lowest number of patients increasing the initial drug consumption (2.6%) and by the highest number of patients reducing the initial drug consumption (10.5%). The mean cost of treatment for a patient persisting with the initial treatment was €12,388 (€14,182 for adalimumab, €12,103 for etanercept and €11,002 for infliximab). The treatment costs for patients switching from initial treatment during the first year of follow-up were higher than for patients who did not switch (€12,710 vs. €11,332). Persistence, switch rate and drug consumption seem to directly

Clinician-Reported Outcome Assessments of Treatment Benefit: Report of the ISPOR Clinical Outcome Assessment Emerging Good Practices Task Force.

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Powers, John H; Patrick, Donald L; Walton, Marc K; Marquis, Patrick; Cano, Stefan; Hobart, Jeremy; Isaac, Maria; Vamvakas, Spiros; Slagle, Ashley; Molsen, Elizabeth; Burke, Laurie B

2017-01-01

A clinician-reported outcome (ClinRO) assessment is a type of clinical outcome assessment (COA). ClinRO assessments, like all COAs (patient-reported, observer-reported, or performance outcome assessments), are used to 1) measure patients' health status and 2) define end points that can be interpreted as treatment benefits of medical interventions on how patients feel, function, or survive in clinical trials. Like other COAs, ClinRO assessments can be influenced by human choices, judgment, or motivation. A ClinRO assessment is conducted and reported by a trained health care professional and requires specialized professional training to evaluate the patient's health status. This is the second of two reports by the ISPOR Clinical Outcomes Assessment-Emerging Good Practices for Outcomes Research Task Force. The first report provided an overview of COAs including definitions important for an understanding of COA measurement practices. This report focuses specifically on issues related to ClinRO assessments. In this report, we define three types of ClinRO assessments (readings, ratings, and clinician global assessments) and describe emerging good measurement practices in their development and evaluation. The good measurement practices include 1) defining the context of use; 2) identifying the concept of interest measured; 3) defining the intended treatment benefit on how patients feel, function, or survive reflected by the ClinRO assessment and evaluating the relationship between that intended treatment benefit and the concept of interest; 4) documenting content validity; 5) evaluating other measurement properties once content validity is established (including intra- and inter-rater reliability); 6) defining study objectives and end point(s) objectives, and defining study end points and placing study end points within the hierarchy of end points; 7) establishing interpretability in trial results; and 8) evaluating operational considerations for the implementation of

Prescription changes and drug costs at the interface between primary and specialist care

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Bijl, D; van Sonderen, E; Haaijer-Ruskamp, FM

Objective: To explore the relevance of prescription changes and related drug costs when patients are referred from primary to secondary care. Patients and methods: Secondary analysis of data derived from a study on the quality of referrals, which was performed in 1989-1990. New and non-acute

A high efficiency, high quality and low cost internal regulated bioanalytical laboratory to support drug development needs.

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Song, Yan; Dhodda, Raj; Zhang, Jun; Sydor, Jens

2014-05-01

In the recent past, we have seen an increase in the outsourcing of bioanalysis in pharmaceutical companies in support of their drug development pipeline. This trend is largely driven by the effort to reduce internal cost, especially in support of late-stage pipeline assets where established bioanalytical assays are used to analyze a large volume of samples. This article will highlight our perspective of how bioanalytical laboratories within pharmaceutical companies can be developed into the best partner in the advancement of drug development pipelines with high-quality support at competitive cost.

Cost-effectiveness-analysis: radioiodine or antithyroid drugs as first-line therapy of hyperthyroidism due to Graves' disease

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dietlein, M.; Moka, D.; Dederichs, B.; Schicha, H.; Hunsche, E.; Lauterbach, K.W.

1999-01-01

Aim: As first-line therapy of hyperthyroidism caused by Graves' disease antithyroid drugs are favoured in Europe, while radioiodine therapy is favoured in the USA. Radioiodine therapy has become more economic in Germany since the new recommendations by the Federal German Radiation Protection Committee (SSK) for patient discharge guidelines. Method: Sensitivity analyses took into account the long-term relapse rate of conservative or radioiodine therapy, use of diagnostic tests, level of health insurance, drops in productivity and a discount factor. Costing models included the costs of follow-up care over 30 years. The costs of the hospitalisation for radioiodine therapy were calculated for 300 patients, discharged with 250 MBq I-131 residual activity. Result: Antithyroid drugs were considered cost-effective when they achieved relapse rate of 50% or less, a cut in the number of tests needed and reduced working hours. Failure to meet any one of these conditions makes primary radioiodine therapy more cost-effective in 1593 of 1944 calculated costing models. Repeated conservative therapies will increase clearly the overall costs. Conclusion: Radioiodine is a cost-effective, first-line therapy in patients with a special risk of relapse after primary conservative therapy (goitre, younger patient, persistent elevated TSH-receptor-antibodies or Tc-uptake). (orig.) [de

Costs and Outcomes of Increasing Access to Bariatric Surgery: Cohort Study and Cost-Effectiveness Analysis Using Electronic Health Records.

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Gulliford, Martin C; Charlton, Judith; Prevost, Toby; Booth, Helen; Fildes, Alison; Ashworth, Mark; Littlejohns, Peter; Reddy, Marcus; Khan, Omar; Rudisill, Caroline

2017-01-01

To estimate costs and outcomes of increasing access to bariatric surgery in obese adults and in population subgroups of age, sex, deprivation, comorbidity, and obesity category. A cohort study was conducted using primary care electronic health records, with linked hospital utilization data, for 3,045 participants who underwent bariatric surgery and 247,537 participants who did not undergo bariatric surgery. Epidemiological analyses informed a probabilistic Markov model to compare bariatric surgery, including equal proportions with adjustable gastric banding, gastric bypass, and sleeve gastrectomy, with standard nonsurgical management of obesity. Outcomes were quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) and net monetary benefits at a threshold of £30,000 per QALY. In a UK population of 250,000 adults, there may be 7,163 people with morbid obesity including 1,406 with diabetes. The immediate cost of 1,000 bariatric surgical procedures is £9.16 million, with incremental discounted lifetime health care costs of £15.26 million (95% confidence interval £15.18-£15.36 million). Patient-years with diabetes mellitus will decrease by 8,320 (range 8,123-8,502). Incremental QALYs will increase by 2,142 (range 2,032-2,256). The estimated cost per QALY gained is £7,129 (range £6,775-£7,506). Net monetary benefits will be £49.02 million (range £45.72-£52.41 million). Estimates are similar for subgroups of age, sex, and deprivation. Bariatric surgery remains cost-effective if the procedure is twice as costly, or if intervention effect declines over time. Diverse obese individuals may benefit from bariatric surgery at acceptable cost. Bariatric surgery is not cost-saving, but increased health care costs are exceeded by health benefits to obese individuals. Copyright © 2017 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of a cost effective in-house method for HIV-1 drug resistance genotyping using plasma samples.

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Devidas N Chaturbhuj

Full Text Available OBJECTIVES: Validation of a cost effective in-house method for HIV-1 drug resistance genotyping using plasma samples. DESIGN: The validation includes the establishment of analytical performance characteristics such as accuracy, reproducibility, precision and sensitivity. METHODS: The accuracy was assessed by comparing 26 paired Virological Quality Assessment (VQA proficiency testing panel sequences generated by in-house and ViroSeq Genotyping System 2.0 (Celera Diagnostics, US as a gold standard. The reproducibility and precision were carried out on five samples with five replicates representing multiple HIV-1 subtypes (A, B, C and resistance patterns. The amplification sensitivity was evaluated on HIV-1 positive plasma samples (n = 88 with known viral loads ranges from 1000-1.8 million RNA copies/ml. RESULTS: Comparison of the nucleotide sequences generated by ViroSeq and in-house method showed 99.41±0.46 and 99.68±0.35% mean nucleotide and amino acid identity respectively. Out of 135 Stanford HIVdb listed HIV-1 drug resistance mutations, partial discordance was observed at 15 positions and complete discordance was absent. The reproducibility and precision study showed high nucleotide sequence identities i.e. 99.88±0.10 and 99.82±0.20 respectively. The in-house method showed 100% analytical sensitivity on the samples with HIV-1 viral load >1000 RNA copies/ml. The cost of running the in-house method is only 50% of that for ViroSeq method (112$ vs 300$, thus making it cost effective. CONCLUSIONS: The validated cost effective in-house method may be used to collect surveillance data on the emergence and transmission of HIV-1 drug resistance in resource limited countries. Moreover, the wide applications of a cost effective and validated in-house method for HIV-1 drug resistance testing will facilitate the decision making for the appropriate management of HIV infected patients.

Are drug-coated balloons cost effective for femoropopliteal occlusive disease? A comparison of bare metal stents and uncoated balloons.

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Poder, Thomas G; Fisette, Jean-François

2016-07-01

To perform a cost-effectiveness analysis to help hospital decision-makers with regard to the use of drug-coated balloons compared with bare metal stents and uncoated balloons for femoropopliteal occlusive disease. Clinical outcomes were extracted from the results of meta-analyses already published, and cost units are those used in the Quebec healthcare network. The literature review was limited to the last four years to obtain the most recent data. The cost-effectiveness analysis was based on a 2-year perspective, and risk factors of reintervention were considered. The cost-effectiveness analysis indicated that drug-coated balloons were generally more efficient than bare metal stents, particularly for patients with higher risk of reintervention (up to CAD$1686 per patient TASC II C or D). Compared with uncoated balloons, results indicated that drug-coated balloons were more efficient if the reintervention rate associated with uncoated balloons is very high and for patients with higher risk of reintervention (up to CAD$3301 per patient). The higher a patient's risk of reintervention, the higher the savings associated with the use of a drug-coated balloon will be. For patients at lower risk, the uncoated balloon strategy is still recommended as a first choice for endovascular intervention.

An adverse events potential costs analysis based on Drug Programs in Poland. Dermatology focus

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Szkultecka-Debek Monika

2014-09-01

Full Text Available The aim of the project, carried out within the Polish Society for Pharmacoeconomics (PTFE, was to estimate the potential costs of treatment of the side effects which (theoretically may occur as a result of treatments for the selected diseases. This paper deals solely with dermatology related events. Herein, several Drug Programs financed by the National Health Fund in Poland, in 2012, were analyzed. The adverse events were selected based on the Summary of Product Characteristics of the chosen products. We focused the project on those potential adverse events which were defined in SPC as frequent and very frequent. The results are presented according to their therapeutic areas, and in this paper, the focus is upon that which is related to dermatology. The events described as ‘very common’ had an incidence of ≥ 1/10, and that which is ‘common’ - ≥ 1/100, <1 /10. In order to identify the resources used, we, with the engagement of clinical experts, performed a survey. In our work, we employed only the total direct costs incurred by the public payer, based on valid individual cost data in February 2014. Moreover, we calculated the total spending from the public payer’s perspective, as well as the patient’s perspective, and the percentage of each component of the total cost in detail. The paper, thus, informs the reader of the estimated costs of treatment of side effects related to the dermatologic symptoms and reactions. Based on our work, we can state that the treatment of skin adverse drug reactions generates a significant cost - one incurred by both the public payer and the patient.

A Cost Analysis of Hospitalizations for Infections Related to Injection Drug Use at a County Safety-Net Hospital in Miami, Florida.

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Hansel Tookes

Full Text Available Infections related to injection drug use are common. Harm reduction strategies such as syringe exchange programs and skin care clinics aim to prevent these infections in injection drug users (IDUs. Syringe exchange programs are currently prohibited by law in Florida. The goal of this study was to estimate the mortality and cost of injection drug use-related bacterial infections over a 12-month period to the county safety-net hospital in Miami, Florida. Additionally, the prevalence of HIV and hepatitis C virus among this cohort of hospitalized IDUs was estimated.IDUs discharged from Jackson Memorial Hospital were identified using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, codes for illicit drug abuse and endocarditis, bacteremia or sepsis, osteomyelitis and skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs. 349 IDUs were identified for chart abstraction and 92% were either uninsured or had publicly funded insurance. SSTIs, the most common infection, were reported in 64% of IDUs. HIV seroprevalence was 17%. Seventeen patients (4.9% died during their hospitalization. The total cost for treatment for injection drug use-related infections to Jackson Memorial Hospital over the 12-month period was $11.4 million.Injection drug use-related bacterial infections represent a significant morbidity for IDUs in Miami-Dade County and a substantial financial cost to the county hospital. Strategies aimed at reducing risk of infections associated with injection drug use could decrease morbidity and the cost associated with these common, yet preventable infections.

Direct medical costs of serious gastrointestinal ulcers attributable to non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in the Netherlands

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vonkeman, Harald E.; Klok, Rogier M.; Postma, Maarten J.; Brouwers, Jacobus R.B.J.; van de Laar, Mart A.F.J.

2006-01-01

Purpose: The occurrence and prevention of gastrointestinal ulcers attributable to the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) has become a major health care issue. Analysis of cost effectiveness of preventive strategies has been hampered by a lack of recent cost of illness studies. The

Economic Impacts of the Generic Drug User Fee Act Fee Structure.

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Dong, Ke; Boehm, Garth; Zheng, Qiang

2017-06-01

A Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Generic Drug User system, Generic Drug User Fee Amendment of 2012 (GDUFA), started October 1, 2012, and has been in place for over 3 years. There is controversy about the GDUFA fee structure but no analysis of GDUFA data that we could find. To look at the economic impact of the GDUFA fee structure. We compared the structure of GDUFA with that of other FDA Human Drug User fees. We then, using FDA-published information, analyzed where GDUFA facility and Drug Master File fees are coming from. We used the Orange Book to identify the sponsors of all approved Abbreviated New Drug Applications (ANDAs) and the S&P Capital IQ database to find the ultimate parent companies of sponsors of approved ANDAs. The key differences between the previous structure for Human Drug User fees and the GDUFA are as follows: GDUFA has no approved product fee and no first-time or small business fee exemptions and GDUFA charges facility fees from the time of filing and charges a foreign facility levy. Most GDUFA fees are paid by or on behalf of foreign entities. The top 10 companies hold nearly 50% of all approved ANDAs but pay about 14% of GDUFA facility fees. We conclude that the regressive nature of the GDUFA fee structure penalizes small, new, and foreign firms while benefiting the large established firms. A progressive fee structure in line with other human drug user fees is needed to ensure a healthy generic drug industry. Copyright © 2017 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

An analysis of potential costs of adverse events based on Drug Programs in Poland. Pulmonology focus

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Szkultecka-Debek Monika

2014-06-01

Full Text Available The project was performed within the Polish Society for Pharmacoeconomics (PTFE. The objective was to estimate the potential costs of treatment of side effects, which theoretically may occur as a result of treatment of selected diseases. We analyzed the Drug Programs financed by National Health Fund in Poland in 2012 and for the first analysis we selected those Programs where the same medicinal products were used. We based the adverse events selection on the Summary of Product Characteristics of the chosen products. We extracted all the potential adverse events defined as frequent and very frequent, grouping them according to therapeutic areas. This paper is related to the results in the pulmonology area. The events described as very common had an incidence of ≥ 1/10, and the common ones ≥ 1/100, <1/10. In order to identify the resources used, we performed a survey with the engagement of clinical experts. On the basis of the collected data we allocated direct costs incurred by the public payer. We used the costs valid in December 2013. The paper presents the estimated costs of treatment of side effects related to the pulmonology disease area. Taking into account the costs incurred by the NHF and the patient separately e calculated the total spending and the percentage of each component cost in detail. The treatment of adverse drug reactions generates a significant cost incurred by both the public payer and the patient.

Costs of Medically Attended Acute Gastrointestinal Infections: The Polish Prospective Healthcare Utilization Survey.

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Czech, Marcin; Rosinska, Magdalena; Rogalska, Justyna; Staszewska, Ewa; Stefanoff, Pawel

The burden of acute gastrointestinal infections (AGIs) on the society has not been well studied in Central European countries, which prevents the implementation of effective, targeted public health interventions. We investigated patients of 11 randomly selected general practices and 8 hospital units. Each patient meeting the international AGI case definition criteria was interviewed on costs incurred related to the use of health care resources. Follow-up interview with consenting patients was conducted 2 to 4 weeks after the general practitioner (GP) visit or discharge from hospital, collecting information on self-medication costs and indirect costs. Costs were recalculated to US dollars by using the purchasing power parity exchange rate for Poland. Weighting the inpatient costs by age-specific probability of hospital referral by GPs, the societal cost of a medically attended AGI case was estimated to be US $168. The main cost drivers of direct medical costs were cost of hospital bed days (US $28), cost of outpatient pharmacotherapy (US $20), and cost of GP consultation (US $10). Patients covered only the cost of outpatient pharmacotherapy. Considering the AGI population GP consultation rate, the age-adjusted societal cost of medically attended AGI episodes was estimated at US $2222 million, of which 53% was attributable to indirect costs. Even though AGIs generate a low cost for individuals, they place a high burden on the society, attributed mostly to indirect costs. Higher resources could be allocated to the prevention and control of AGIs. Copyright © 2013, International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc.

[Direct costs and clinical aspects of adverse drug reactions in patients admitted to a level 3 hospital internal medicine ward].

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Tribiño, Gabriel; Maldonado, Carlos; Segura, Omar; Díaz, Jorge

2006-03-01

Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) occur frequently in hospitals and increase costs of health care; however, few studies have quantified the clinical and economic impact of ADRs in Colombia. These impacts were evaluated by calculating costs associated with ADRs in patients hospitalized in the internal medicine ward of a Level 3 hospital located in Bogotá, Colombia. In addition, salient clinical features of ADRs were identified and characterized. Intensive follow-ups for a cohort of patients were conducted for a five month period in order to detect ADRs; different ways to classify them, according to literature, were considered as well. Information was collected using the INVIMA reporting format, and causal probability was evaluated with the Naranjo algorithm. Direct costs were calculated from the perspective of payer, based on the following costs: additional hospital stay, medications, paraclinical tests, additional procedures, patient displacement to intermediate or intensive care units, and other costs. Of 836 patients admitted to the service, 268 adverse drug reactions were detected in 208 patients (incidence proportion 25.1%, occurence rate 0.32). About the ADRs found, 74.3% were classified as probable, 92.5% were type A, and 81.3% were moderate. The body system most often affected was the circulatory system (33.9%). Drugs acting on the blood were most frequently those ones associated with adverse reactions (37.6%). The costs resulting from medical care of adverse drug reactions varied from COL dollar 93,633,422 (USD dollar 35,014.92) to COL dollar 122,155,406 (USD dollar 45,680.94), according to insurance type, during the study period. Adverse drug reactions have a significant negative health and financial impact on patient welfare. Because of the substantial resources required for their medical care and the significant proportion of preventable adverse reactions, active programs of institutional pharmacovigilance are highly recommended.

Cost-effectiveness analysis of biodegradable polymer versus durable polymer drug-eluting stents incorporating real-world evidence.

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Teng, Monica; Zhao, Ying Jiao; Khoo, Ai Leng; Ananthakrishna, Rajiv; Yeo, Tiong Cheng; Lim, Boon Peng; Chan, Mark Y; Loh, Joshua P

2018-06-05

Compared with second-generation durable polymer drug-eluting stents (DP-DES), the cost-effectiveness of biodegradable polymer drug-eluting stents (BP-DES) remains unclear in the real-world setting. We assessed the cost-effectiveness of BP-DES in patients with coronary artery disease undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). We developed a decision-analytic model to compare the cost-effectiveness of BP-DES to DP-DES over one year and five years from healthcare payer perspective. Relative treatment effects during the first year post-PCI were obtained from a real-world population analysis while clinical event risks in the subsequent four years were derived from a meta-analysis of published studies. At one year, based on the clinical data analysis of 497 propensity-score matched pairs of patients, BP-DES were associated with an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of USD20,503 per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) gained. At five years, BP-DES yielded an ICER of USD4,062 per QALY gained. At the willingness-to-pay threshold of USD50,400 (one gross domestic product per capita in Singapore in 2015), BP-DES were cost-effective. Sensitivity analysis showed that the cost of stents had a significant impact on the cost-effectiveness of BP-DES. Threshold analysis demonstrated that if the cost difference between BP-DES and DP-DES exceeded USD493, BP-DES would not be cost-effective in patients with one-year of follow-up. BP-DES were cost-effective compared with DP-DES in patients with coronary artery disease at one year and five years after PCI. It is worth noting that the cost of stents had a significant impact on the findings. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Preventing Unnecessary Costs of Drug-Induced Hypoglycemia in Older Adults with Type 2 Diabetes in the United States and Canada.

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Boulin, Mathieu; Diaby, Vakaramoko; Tannenbaum, Cara

2016-01-01

The costs of drug-induced hypoglycemia are a critical but often neglected component of value-based arguments to reduce tight glycemic control in older adults with type 2 diabetes. An economic (decision-tree) analysis compared rates, costs, quality-adjusted life-years, and incremental costs per quality-adjusted life-year gained associated with mild, moderate and severe hypoglycemic events for 6 glucose-lowering medication classes in type 2 diabetic adults aged 65-79 versus those 80 years and older. The national U.S. (Center for Medicare Services) and Canadian public health payer perspectives were adopted. Incidence rates of drug-induced hypoglycemia were the highest for basal insulin and sulfonylureas: 8.64 and 4.32 events per person-year in 65-79 year olds, and 12.06 and 6.03 events per person-year for 80 years and older. In both the U.S. and Canada, metformin dominated sulfonylureas, basal insulin and glucagon-like peptide1 receptor agonists. Relative to sulfonylureas, thiazolidinediones had the lowest incremental cost-effectiveness ratios in the U.S. and dominated sulfonylureas in Canada for adults 80 years and older. Relative to sulfonylureas, dipeptidyl peptidase4 inhibitors were cost-effective for adults 80 years and older in both countries, and for 65-79 year olds in Canada. Annual costs of hypoglycemia for older adults attaining very tight glycemic control with the use of insulin or sulfonylureas were estimated at U.S.$509,214,473 in the U.S. and CAN$65,497,849 in Canada. Optimizing drug therapy for older type 2 diabetic adults through the avoidance of drug-induced hypoglycemia will dramatically improve patient health while also generating millions of dollars by saving unnecessary medical costs.

The Effect of Florida Medicaid's State-Mandated Formulary Provision on Prescription Drug Use and Health Plan Costs in a Medicaid Managed Care Plan.

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Munshi, Kiraat D; Mager, Douglas; Ward, Krista M; Mischel, Brian; Henderson, Rochelle R

2018-02-01

Formulary or preferred drug list (PDL) management is an effective strategy to ensure clinically efficient prescription drug management by managed care organizations (MCOs). Medicaid MCOs participating in Florida's Medicaid program were required to use a state-mandated PDL between May and August 2014. To examine differences in prescription drug use and plan costs between a single Florida Medicaid managed care (MMC) health plan that implemented a state-mandated PDL policy on July 1, 2014, and a comparable MMC health plan in another state without a state-mandated PDL, controlling for sociodemographic confounders. A retrospective analysis with a pre-post design was conducted using deidentified administrative claims data from a large pharmacy benefit manager. The prepolicy evaluation period was January 1 through June 30, 2014, and the postpolicy period was January 1 through June 30, 2015. Continuously eligible Florida MMC plan members were matched on sociodemographic and health characteristics to their counterparts enrolled in a comparable MMC health plan in another state without a state-mandated formulary. Outcomes were drug use, measured as the number of 30-day adjusted nonspecialty drug prescriptions per member per period, and total drug plan costs per member per period for all drugs, with separate measures for generic and brand drugs. Bivariate comparisons were conducted using t-tests. Employing a difference-in-differences (DID) analytic approach, multivariate negative binomial regression and generalized estimating equation models were used to analyze prescription drug use and costs. The final analytical sample consisted of 18,372 enrollees, evenly divided between the 2 groups. In the postpolicy evaluation period, overall and generic use declined, while brand use increased for members in the Florida health plan. Drug costs, especially for brands, significantly increased for Florida health plan members. No significant changes were observed over the same time period

Cost analysis of biologic drugs in rheumatoid arthritis first line treatment after methotrexate failure according to patients' body weight.

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Román Ivorra, José Andrés; Ivorra, José; Monte-Boquet, Emilio; Canal, Cristina; Oyagüez, Itziar; Gómez-Barrera, Manuel

2016-01-01

The objective was to assess the influence of patients' weight in the cost of rheumatoid arthritis treatment with biologic drugs used in first line after non-adequate response to methotrexate. Pharmaceutical and administration costs were calculated in two scenarios: non-optimization and optimization of intravenous (IV) vials. The retrospective analysis of 66 patients from a Spanish 1,000 beds-hospital Rheumatology Clinic Service was used to obtain posology and weight data. The study time horizon was two years. Costs were expressed in 2013 euros. For an average 69kg-weighted patient the lowest cost corresponded to abatacept subcutaneous (SC ABA) (€21,028.09) in the scenario without IV vials optimization and infliximab (IFX) (€20,779.29) with optimization. Considering patients' weight in the scenario without IV vials optimization infliximab (IFX) was the least expensive drug in patients ranged 45-49kg, IV ABA in 50-59kg and SC ABA in patients over 60kg. With IV vials optimization IFX was the least expensive drug in patients under 69kg and SC ABA over 70kg. Assuming comparable effectiveness of biological drugs, patient's weight is a variable to consider, potentials savings could reach €20,000 in two years. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier España, S.L.U. and Sociedad Española de Reumatología y Colegio Mexicano de Reumatología. All rights reserved.

Cost-Sharing and Drug Pricing Strategies : Introducing Tiered Co-Payments in Reference Price Markets

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Suppliet, Moritz; Herr, Annika

2016-01-01

Health insurances curb price insensitive behavior and moral hazard of insureds through different types of cost-sharing, such as tiered co-payments or reference pricing. This paper evaluates the effect of newly introduced price limits below which drugs are exempt from co-payments on the pricing

Persistence, switch rates, drug consumption and costs of biological treatment of rheumatoid arthritis: an observational study in Italy

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Degli Esposti L

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Luca Degli Esposti,1 Ennio Giulio Favalli,2 Diego Sangiorgi,1 Roberta Di Turi,3 Giuseppina Farina,4 Marco Gambera,5 Roberto Ravasio,6 1CliCon S.r.l. – Health, Economics & Outcomes Research, Ravenna, 2Department of Rheumatology, Istituto Ortopedico Gaetano Pini, Milan, 3Local Pharmaceutical and Supplementary Assistance Unit, Roma Local Health Authority D, Rome, 4Internal Management Control Unit – Pharmaceutical Spending Control Sector, Caserta Local Health Authority, Caserta, 5Local Pharmaceutical Service, Bergamo Local Health Authority, Bergamo, 6Health Publishing & Services Srl, Milan, Italy Objectives: The aim of this analysis was to provide an estimate of drug utilization indicators (persistence, switch rate and drug consumption on biologics and the corresponding costs (drugs, admissions and specialist care incurred by the Italian National Health Service in the management of adult patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA.Methods: We conducted an observational retrospective cohort analysis using the administrative databases of three local health units. We considered all patients aged ≥18 years with a diagnosis of RA and at least one biologic drug prescription between January 2010 and December 2012 (recruitment period. Persistence was defined as maintenance over the last 3 months of the follow-up period of the same biological therapy administered at the index date. A switch was defined as the presence of a biological therapy other than that administered at the index date during the last 3 months of the follow-up period. Hospital admissions (with a diagnosis of RA or other RA-related diagnoses, specialist outpatient services, instrumental diagnostics and pharmaceutical consumption were assessed.Results: The drug utilization analysis took into account only biologics with at least 90 patients on treatment at baseline (adalimumab n=144, etanercept n=236 and infliximab n=94. In each year, etanercept showed better persistence with initial

Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of potential responses to future high levels of transmitted HIV drug resistance in antiretroviral drug-naive populations beginning treatment

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Phillips, Andrew N; Cambiano, Valentina; Miners, Alec

2014-01-01

BACKGROUND: With continued roll-out of antiretroviral therapy (ART) in resource-limited settings, evidence is emerging of increasing levels of transmitted drug-resistant HIV. We aimed to compare the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of different potential public health responses to substantial...

Reduction of costs for anemia-management drugs associated with the use of ferric citrate

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Thomas A

2014-05-01

Full Text Available Anila Thomas,1 Leif E Peterson2 1Clinical Pharmacy Services, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX, USA; 2Center for Biostatistics, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, TX, USA Background: Ferric citrate is a novel phosphate binder which has the potential to reduce usage of erythropoietin-stimulating agents (ESAs and intravenous (IV iron used for anemia management during hemodialysis (HD among patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD. Currently, the potential health care cost savings on a national scale due to the use of ferric citrate in ESRD are undetermined. Methods: Per-patient-per-year costs of ESAs (Epogen® and Aranesp® [Amgen Inc., CA, USA] and IV iron (Venofer® [American Regent, Inc., NY, USA] and Ferrlecit® [Sanofi US, Bridgewater, NJ, USA] were based on RED BOOK™ (Truven Health Analytics New York, NY, USA costs combined with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS base rate and actual usage in 2011 for the four drugs. The annual number of outpatients undergoing HD in the US was based on frequencies reported by the USRDS (United States Renal Data System. Monte Carlo uncertainty analysis was performed to determine total annual costs and cost reduction based on ferric citrate usage. Results: Total annual cost of ESAs and IV iron for anemia management in ESRD determined by Monte Carlo analysis assuming CMS base rate value was 5.127 (3.664–6.260 billion USD. For actual utilization in 2011, total annual cost of ESAs and IV iron was 3.981 (2.780–4.930 billion USD. If ferric citrate usage reduced ESA utilization by 20% and IV iron by 40%, then total cost would be reduced by 21.2% to 4.038 (2.868–4.914 billion USD for the CMS base rate, and by 21.8% to 3.111 (2.148–3.845 billion USD, based on 2011 actual utilization. Conclusion: It is likely that US health care costs for anemia-management drugs associated with ESRD among HD patients can be reduced by using ferric citrate as a phosphate binder. Keywords

#DDOD Use Case: Access to Medicare Part D Drug Event File (PDE) for cost transparency

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U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — SUMMARY DDOD use case to request access to Medicare Part D Drug Event File (PDE) for cost transparency to pharmacies and patients. WHAT IS A USE CASE? A “Use Case”...

Association between drug insurance cost sharing strategies and outcomes in patients with chronic diseases: a systematic review.

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Bikaramjit S Mann

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Prescription drugs are used in people with hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease to manage their illness. Patient cost sharing strategies such as copayments and deductibles are often employed to lower expenditures for prescription drug insurance plans, but the impact on health outcomes in these patients is unclear. OBJECTIVE: To determine the association between drug insurance and patient cost sharing strategies on medication adherence, clinical and economic outcomes in those with chronic diseases (defined herein as diabetes, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, coronary artery disease, and cerebrovascular disease. METHODS: Studies were included if they examined various cost sharing strategies including copayments, coinsurance, fixed copayments, deductibles and maximum out-of-pocket expenditures. Value-based insurance design and reference based pricing studies were excluded. Two reviewers independently identified original intervention studies (randomized controlled trials, interrupted time series, and controlled before-after designs. MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, and relevant reference lists were searched until March 2013. Two reviewers independently assessed studies for inclusion, quality, and extracted data. Eleven studies, assessing the impact of seven policy changes, were included: 2 separate reports of one randomized controlled trial, 4 interrupted time series, and 5 controlled before-after studies. FINDINGS: Outcomes included medication adherence, clinical events (myocardial infarction, stroke, death, quality of life, healthcare utilization, or cost. The heterogeneity among the studies precluded meta-analysis. Few studies reported the impact of cost sharing strategies on mortality, clinical and economic outcomes. The association between patient copayments and medication adherence varied across studies, ranging from no difference to significantly lower adherence, depending on the amount of the copayment

Clinical effectiveness, tolerability and cost-effectiveness of newer drugs for epilepsy in adults: a systematic review and economic evaluation.

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Wilby, J; Kainth, A; Hawkins, N; Epstein, D; McIntosh, H; McDaid, C; Mason, A; Golder, S; O'Meara, S; Sculpher, M; Drummond, M; Forbes, C

2005-04-01

To examine the clinical effectiveness, tolerability and cost-effectiveness of gabapentin (GBP), lamotrigine (LTG), levetiracetam (LEV), oxcarbazepine (OXC), tiagabine (TGB), topiramate (TPM) and vigabatrin (VGB) for epilepsy in adults. Electronic databases. Internet resources. Pharmaceutical company submissions. Selected studies were screened and quality assessed. Separate analyses assessed clinical effectiveness, serious, rare and long-term adverse events and cost-effectiveness. An integrated economic analysis incorporating information on costs and effects of newer and older antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) was performed to give direct comparisons of long-term costs and benefits. A total of 212 studies were included in the review. All included systematic reviews were Cochrane reviews and of good quality. The quality of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) was variable. Assessment was hampered by poor reporting of methods of randomisation, allocation concealment and blinding. Few of the non-randomised studies were of good quality. The main weakness of the economic evaluations was inappropriate use of the cost-minimisation design. The included systematic reviews reported that newer AEDs were effective as adjunctive therapy compared to placebo. For newer versus older drugs, data were available for all three monotherapy AEDs, although data for OXC and TPM were limited. There was limited, poor-quality evidence of a significant improvement in cognitive function with LTG and OXC compared with older AEDs. However, there were no consistent statistically significant differences in other clinical outcomes, including proportion of seizure-free patients. No studies assessed effectiveness of AEDs in people with intellectual disabilities or in pregnant women. There was very little evidence to assess the effectiveness of AEDs in the elderly; no significant differences were found between LTG and carbamazepine monotherapy. Sixty-seven RCTs compared adjunctive therapy with placebo, older

Preventing Unnecessary Costs of Drug-Induced Hypoglycemia in Older Adults with Type 2 Diabetes in the United States and Canada.

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Mathieu Boulin

Full Text Available The costs of drug-induced hypoglycemia are a critical but often neglected component of value-based arguments to reduce tight glycemic control in older adults with type 2 diabetes.An economic (decision-tree analysis compared rates, costs, quality-adjusted life-years, and incremental costs per quality-adjusted life-year gained associated with mild, moderate and severe hypoglycemic events for 6 glucose-lowering medication classes in type 2 diabetic adults aged 65-79 versus those 80 years and older. The national U.S. (Center for Medicare Services and Canadian public health payer perspectives were adopted.Incidence rates of drug-induced hypoglycemia were the highest for basal insulin and sulfonylureas: 8.64 and 4.32 events per person-year in 65-79 year olds, and 12.06 and 6.03 events per person-year for 80 years and older. In both the U.S. and Canada, metformin dominated sulfonylureas, basal insulin and glucagon-like peptide1 receptor agonists. Relative to sulfonylureas, thiazolidinediones had the lowest incremental cost-effectiveness ratios in the U.S. and dominated sulfonylureas in Canada for adults 80 years and older. Relative to sulfonylureas, dipeptidyl peptidase4 inhibitors were cost-effective for adults 80 years and older in both countries, and for 65-79 year olds in Canada. Annual costs of hypoglycemia for older adults attaining very tight glycemic control with the use of insulin or sulfonylureas were estimated at U.S.$509,214,473 in the U.S. and CAN$65,497,849 in Canada.Optimizing drug therapy for older type 2 diabetic adults through the avoidance of drug-induced hypoglycemia will dramatically improve patient health while also generating millions of dollars by saving unnecessary medical costs.

Cost-effectiveness of public-health policy options in the presence of pretreatment NNRTI drug resistance in sub-Saharan Africa

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Phillips, Andrew N; Cambiano, Valentina; Nakagawa, Fumiyo

2018-01-01

BACKGROUND: There is concern over increasing prevalence of non-nucleoside reverse-transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI) resistance in people initiating antiretroviral therapy (ART) in low-income and middle-income countries. We assessed the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of alternative public health...... sources and considers specific drugs and resistance mutations. We used this model to generate multiple setting scenarios mimicking those in sub-Saharan Africa and considered the prevalence of pretreatment NNRTI drug resistance in 2017. We then compared effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of alternative...... policy options. We took a 20 year time horizon, used a cost effectiveness threshold of US$500 per DALY averted, and discounted DALYs and costs at 3% per year. FINDINGS: A transition to use of a dolutegravir as a first-line regimen in all new ART initiators is the option predicted to produce the most...

Estimated cost savings associated with the transfer of office-administered specialty pharmaceuticals to a specialty pharmacy provider in a Medical Injectable Drug program.

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Baldini, Christopher G; Culley, Eric J

2011-01-01

A large managed care organization (MCO) in western Pennsylvania initiated a Medical Injectable Drug (MID) program in 2002 that transferred a specific subset of specialty drugs from physician reimbursement under the traditional "buy-and-bill" model in the medical benefit to MCO purchase from a specialty pharmacy provider (SPP) that supplied physician offices with the MIDs. The MID program was initiated with 4 drugs in 2002 (palivizumab and 3 hyaluronate products/derivatives) growing to more than 50 drugs by 2007-2008. To (a) describe the MID program as a method to manage the cost and delivery of this subset of specialty drugs, and (b) estimate the MID program cost savings in 2007 and 2008 in an MCO with approximately 4.6 million members. Cost savings generated by the MID program were calculated by comparing the total actual expenditure (plan cost plus member cost) on medications included in the MID program for calendar years 2007 and 2008 with the total estimated expenditure that would have been paid to physicians during the same time period for the same medication if reimbursement had been made using HCPCS (J code) billing under the physician "buy-and-bill" reimbursement rates. For the approximately 50 drugs in the MID program in 2007 and 2008, the drug cost savings in 2007 were estimated to be $15.5 million (18.2%) or $290 per claim ($0.28 per member per month [PMPM]) and about $13 million (12.7%) or $201 per claim ($0.23 PMPM) in 2008. Although 28% of MID claims continued to be billed by physicians using J codes in 2007 and 22% in 2008, all claims for MIDs were limited to the SPP reimbursement rates. This MID program was associated with health plan cost savings of approximately $28.5 million over 2 years, achieved by the transfer of about 50 physician-administered injectable pharmaceuticals from reimbursement to physicians to reimbursement to a single SPP and payment of physician claims for MIDs at the SPP reimbursement rates.

How rebates, copayments, and administration costs affect the cost-effectiveness of osteoporosis therapies.

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Ferko, Nicole C; Borisova, Natalie; Airia, Parisa; Grima, Daniel T; Thompson, Melissa F

2012-11-01

Because of rising drug expenditures, cost considerations have become essential, necessitating the requirement for cost-effectiveness analyses for managed care organizations (MCOs). The study objective is to examine the impact of various drug-cost components, in addition to wholesale acquisition cost (WAC), on the cost-effectiveness of osteoporosis therapies. A Markov model of osteoporosis was used to exemplify different drug cost scenarios. We examined the effect of varying rebates for oral bisphosphonates--risedronate and ibandronate--as well as considering the impact of varying copayments and administration costs for intravenous zoledronate. The population modeled was 1,000 American women, > or = 50 years with osteoporosis. Patients were followed for 1 year to reflect an annual budget review of formularies by MCOs. The cost of therapy was based on an adjusted WAC, and is referred to as net drug cost. The total annual cost incurred by an MCO for each drug regimen was calculated using the net drug cost and fracture cost. We estimated cost on a quality adjusted life year (QALY) basis. When considering different rebates, results for risedronate versus ibandronate vary from cost-savings (i.e., costs less and more effective) to approximately $70,000 per QALY. With no risedronate rebate, an ibandronate rebate of approximately 65% is required before cost per QALY surpasses $50,000. With rebates greater than 25% for risedronate, irrespective of ibandronate rebates, results become cost-saving. Results also showed the magnitude of cost savings to the MCO varied by as much as 65% when considering no administration cost and the highest coinsurance rate for zoledronate. Our study showed that cost-effectiveness varies considerably when factors in addition to the WAC are considered. This paper provides recommendations for pharmaceutical manufacturers and MCOs when developing and interpreting such analyses.

Hidden costs of HIV treatment in Spain: inefficiency of the antiretroviral drug packaging.

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Llibre-Codina, Josep M; Andreu-Crespo, Angels; Cardona-Peitx, Gloria; Sala-Piñol, Ferran; Clotet-Sala, Bonaventura; Bonafont-Pujol, Xavier

2014-01-01

treating 78 patients with rilpivirine/TDF/FTC during 1 month. Class A and B packages in bad condition represented only 1.1% of the cost. However, 75.805€ came from returned packages in good condition that could potentially be reused. Most of the treatment changes were not foreseeable. A significant economic budget is lost through socially inefficient antiretroviral packages. Newer treatments are packaged in C and D categories, therefore maintaining these hidden costs in the near future. Any improvement in the excellence of packaging by the manufacturer, and favouring the choice of drugs supplied through efficient packages (when efficacy, toxicity and convenience are similar) should minimize the treatment expenditures paid by national health budgets.

Estimating Drug Costs: How do Manufacturer Net Prices Compare with Other Common US Price References?

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Mattingly, T Joseph; Levy, Joseph F; Slejko, Julia F; Onwudiwe, Nneka C; Perfetto, Eleanor M

2018-05-12

Drug costs are frequently estimated in economic analyses using wholesale acquisition cost (WAC), but what is the best approach to develop these estimates? Pharmaceutical manufacturers recently released transparency reports disclosing net price increases after accounting for rebates and other discounts. Our objective was to determine whether manufacturer net prices (MNPs) could approximate the discounted prices observed by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). We compared the annual, average price discounts voluntarily reported by three pharmaceutical manufacturers with the VA price for specific products from each company. The top 10 drugs by total sales reported from company tax filings for 2016 were included. The discount observed by the VA was determined from each drug's list price, reported as WAC, in 2016. Descriptive statistics were calculated for the VA discount observed and a weighted price index was calculated using the lowest price to the VA (Weighted VA Index), which was compared with the manufacturer index. The discounted price as a percentage of the WAC ranged from 9 to 74%. All three indexes estimated by the average discount to the VA were at or below the manufacturer indexes (42 vs. 50% for Eli Lilly, 56 vs. 65% for Johnson & Johnson, and 59 vs. 59% for Merck). Manufacturer-reported average net prices may provide a close approximation of the average discounted price granted to the VA, suggesting they may be a useful proxy for the true pharmacy benefits manager (PBM) or payer cost. However, individual discounts for products have wide variation, making a standard discount adjustment across multiple products less acceptable.

Cost-effectiveness of routine measuring of serum drug concentrations and anti-drug antibodies in treatment of rheumatoid arthritis patients with TNF-α blockers

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Laine J

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Juha Laine,1 T Sakari Jokiranta,2,3 Kari K Eklund,4,5 Merja Väkeväinen,1 Kari Puolakka6 1Pfizer Oy, Helsinki, 2United Medix Laboratories Ltd, Espoo, 3Research Programs Unit, Immunobiology, 4Department of Rheumatology, University of Helsinki, 5Helsinki University Central Hospital, Helsinki, 6Department of Medicine, South Karelia, Finland Abstract: Monitoring of anti-drug antibodies (ADAbs or serum concentrations of biologicals in treatment of rheumatoid arthritis could provide an explanation for a loss of efficacy and help in the choice of subsequent medication. Current clinical practices do not generally include such monitoring of tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α blockers on a routine basis. The main aims of this study were to estimate the probabilities of optimal and nonoptimal treatment decisions if infliximab or adalimumab drug trough level (DL and ADAbs are tested or not in rheumatoid arthritis, and to model cost-effectiveness of performing such monitoring on a routine basis. Data on DLs and ADAbs concentrations were obtained in Finland from clinically requested monitoring analyses of 486 and 1,137 samples from patients on adalimumab and infliximab, respectively. DL was within the target range in 42% of samples from adalimumab- and 50.4% of infliximab-treated patients. ADAbs were detected in approximately 20% and 13.5% of samples from adalimumab- and infliximab-treated patients, respectively. ADAbs were found in 52.3% and 41.3% of those with low adalimumab or infliximab DLs, respectively. The monitoring data were incorporated into probabilities for making the optimal treatment decision. Economic impact of clinical decision-making was modeled in a short-term (3–6 months scenario with 100 hypothetical patients. In the model, the combined measurement of DLs and ADAbs was cost-saving compared to the nontesting scenario when the monitoring results affected the treatment decision in at least 2–5 of 100 patients, a proportion which is easily

Drug development costs when financial risk is measured using the Fama-French three-factor model.

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Vernon, John A; Golec, Joseph H; Dimasi, Joseph A

2010-08-01

In a widely cited article, DiMasi, Hansen, and Grabowski (2003) estimate the average pre-tax cost of bringing a new molecular entity to market. Their base case estimate, excluding post-marketing studies, was $802 million (in $US 2000). Strikingly, almost half of this cost (or $399 million) is the cost of capital (COC) used to fund clinical development expenses to the point of FDA marketing approval. The authors used an 11% real COC computed using the capital asset pricing model (CAPM). But the CAPM is a single factor risk model, and multi-factor risk models are the current state of the art in finance. Using the Fama-French three factor model we find that the cost of drug development to be higher than the earlier estimate. Copyright (c) 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Cost-effectiveness of drug-eluting stents versus bare-metal stents in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention

OpenAIRE

Baschet, Louise; Bourguignon, Sandrine; Marque, S?bastien; Durand-Zaleski, Isabelle; Teiger, Emmanuel; Wilquin, Fanny; Levesque, Karine

2016-01-01

Objective To determine the cost-effectiveness of drug-eluting stents (DES) compared with bare-metal stents (BMS) in patients requiring a percutaneous coronary intervention in France, using a recent meta-analysis including second-generation DES. Methods A cost-effectiveness analysis was performed in the French National Health Insurance setting. Effectiveness settings were taken from a meta-analysis of 117?762 patient-years with 76 randomised trials. The main effectiveness criterion was major c...

Performance-based risk-sharing arrangements-good practices for design, implementation, and evaluation: report of the ISPOR good practices for performance-based risk-sharing arrangements task force.

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Garrison, Louis P; Towse, Adrian; Briggs, Andrew; de Pouvourville, Gerard; Grueger, Jens; Mohr, Penny E; Severens, J L Hans; Siviero, Paolo; Sleeper, Miguel

2013-01-01

additional data collection is justified by the benefits of improved resource allocation decisions afforded by the additional evidence generated and the accompanying reduction in uncertainty. The ex post evaluation of a PBRSA should, however, be a multidimensional exercise that assesses many aspects, including not only the impact on long-term cost-effectiveness and whether appropriate evidence was generated but also process indicators, such as whether and how the evidence was used in coverage or reimbursement decisions, whether budget and time were appropriate, and whether the governance arrangements worked well. There is an important gap in the literature of structured ex post evaluation of PBRSAs. As an innovation in and of themselves, PBRSAs should also be evaluated from a long-run societal perspective in terms of their impact on dynamic efficiency (eliciting the optimal amount of innovation). Copyright © 2013 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Addressing Cancer Drug Costs and Value

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The President’s Cancer Panel has released its latest report, Promoting Value, Affordability, and Innovation in Cancer Drug Treatment. The report recommends six actions to maximize the value and affordability of cancer drug treatment.

Physician adherence to hypertension treatment guidelines and drug acquisition costs of antihypertensive drugs at the cardiac clinic: a pilot study

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Abdulameer SA

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Shaymaa Abdalwahed Abdulameer1, Mohanad Naji Sahib1, Noorizan Abd Aziz1,2, Yahaya Hassan1,2, Hadeer Akram Abdul AlRazzaq1, Omar Ismail31School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 Minden, Penang, Malaysia; 2Faculty of Pharmacy, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM, 42300 Puncak Alam, Selangor, Malaysia; 3Hospital Pulau Pinang, 10900, Penang, MalaysiaAbstract: Prescribing pattern surveys are one of the pharmacoepidemiological techniques that provide an unbiased picture of prescribing habits. Prescription surveys permit the identification of suboptimal prescribing patterns for further evaluation. The aims of this study were to determine the prescribing trend, adherence of the prescribers to the guideline, and the impact of drug expenditure on drug utilization at the cardiac clinic of Penang Hospital, Malaysia. This was a cross-sectional study. Demographic data of the patients, diagnoses and the drugs prescribed were recorded. The average drug acquisition costs (ADAC were calculated for each antihypertensive drug class on a daily and annual basis. Adherence to the guideline was calculated as a percentage of the total number of patients. A total of 313 individuals fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The average age of the study population was 59.30 ± 10.35 years. The mean number of drugs per prescription in the study was 2.09 ± 0.78. There were no significant differences in the demographic data. Antihypertensive drugs were used in monotherapy and polytherapy in 20.8% and 79.2% of the patients, respectively. Adherence to the guideline regarding prescription occurred in 85.30% of the patients. The lowest priced drug class was diuretics and the highest was angiotensin-receptor blockers. In conclusion, the total adherence to the guideline was good; the adherence percentage only slightly decreased with a co-existing comorbidity (such as diabetes mellitus. The use of thiazide diuretics was encouraged because they are well tolerated and

Conceptualizing a model: a report of the ISPOR-SMDM Modeling Good Research Practices Task Force--2.

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Roberts, Mark; Russell, Louise B; Paltiel, A David; Chambers, Michael; McEwan, Phil; Krahn, Murray

2012-01-01

The appropriate development of a model begins with understanding the problem that is being represented. The aim of this article was to provide a series of consensus-based best practices regarding the process of model conceptualization. For the purpose of this series of articles, we consider the development of models whose purpose is to inform medical decisions and health-related resource allocation questions. We specifically divide the conceptualization process into two distinct components: the conceptualization of the problem, which converts knowledge of the health care process or decision into a representation of the problem, followed by the conceptualization of the model itself, which matches the attributes and characteristics of a particular modeling type with the needs of the problem being represented. Recommendations are made regarding the structure of the modeling team, agreement on the statement of the problem, the structure, perspective, and target population of the model, and the interventions and outcomes represented. Best practices relating to the specific characteristics of model structure and which characteristics of the problem might be most easily represented in a specific modeling method are presented. Each section contains a number of recommendations that were iterated among the authors, as well as among the wider modeling taskforce, jointly set up by the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research and the Society for Medical Decision Making. Copyright © 2012 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Análisis Costo Efectividad del Stent Farmacológico V/S Stent no Farmacológico en Cardiopatía Isquémica en Chile.

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De la Puente, Catherine; Vallejos, Carlos; Velásquez, Mónica; Soto, David; Orellana, Juan

2012-12-01

To evaluate and compare the costs and effectiveness of two alternative stent, drug eluting stent (SF) and bare metal stent (SNF). Cost-utility analysis based on a Markov model using data from a cohort study of Hospital Las Higueras of Talcahuano, Chile. The effectiveness measure was the rate of restenosis and the time of restenosis. The effectiveness outcomes are expressed in quality-adjusted life years (QALY) gained. Costs are expressed in national currency 2011. The evaluation perspective was from the public heath budget. We model a cohort from age 63 to 80 years, life expectancy in Chile. Apply discount rate of 0, 3% and 6% for results and costs. Sensitivity analysis is performed according to the ranges of variability in costs, the utility values of the variables and transition between states. No differences in restenosis rates between the two stents, although there were differences in the time of restenosis. The incremental cost effectiveness ratio (ICER) no discount rate was CH$ 235.749 per QALY gained when using drug-eluting stent, the value below the equivalent of 1 Gross Domestic Product (PIB) per capita for 2011 in Chile. The drug-eluting stent (SF) is cost effective compared to bare metal stent (SNF). The ICER is not affected by the sensitivity analysis (variability of cost, utility ranges used, probability of restenosis). Copyright © 2012 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Cost-utility analysis of varenicline, an oral smoking-cessation drug, in Japan.

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Igarashi, Ataru; Takuma, Hiroki; Fukuda, Takashi; Tsutani, Kiichiro

2009-01-01

To conduct a cost-utility analysis of two 12-week smoking-cessation interventions in Japan: smoking-cessation counselling by a physician compared with use of varenicline, an oral smoking-cessation drug, in addition to counselling. A Markov model was constructed to analyse lifetime medical costs and QALYs from the perspective of the healthcare payer. The cycle length was 5 years. Both costs and QALYs were discounted at 3% annually. The cohort of smokers was classified by sex and age, and we assumed that smokers started smoking at the age of 20 years and received smoking-cessation therapy at the ages of 30, 40, 50, 60 or 70 years (five separate models were run). The healthcare costs and QALYs were calculated throughout the term until the age of 90 years. In the base-case analysis, success rates of varenicline plus counselling and counselling alone were assumed to be 37.9% and 25.5%, respectively, in male smokers, and 22.2% and 16.1%, respectively, in female smokers, based on a randomized controlled trial conducted in Japan. Both univariate and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were conducted. Prescribed varenicline was shown to be more effective and less costly than smoking-cessation counselling alone. Varenicline would save direct medical costs of Japanese Yen (yen)43 846 ($US381; $US1 = yen115; Oct 2007) and generate an increase of 0.094 QALYs in male smokers. In females the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio was yen346 143 per QALY gained. Varenicline is estimated to save yen23.7 billion ($US206 million) of the medical costs for tobacco-associated diseases for the whole population. Overall savings are yen9.5 billion. Sensitivity analyses suggested the robustness of the results. As with any data of this nature, there is some uncertainty in the results and further research is warranted. However, based on the results of this pharmacoeconomic evaluation, varenicline, the first non-nicotine, oral treatment developed for smoking cessation, appears to be cost

Modeling the impact and costs of semiannual mass drug administration for accelerated elimination of lymphatic filariasis.

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Wilma A Stolk

Full Text Available The Global Program to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis (LF has a target date of 2020. This program is progressing well in many countries. However, progress has been slow in some countries, and others have not yet started their mass drug administration (MDA programs. Acceleration is needed. We studied how increasing MDA frequency from once to twice per year would affect program duration and costs by using computer simulation modeling and cost projections. We used the LYMFASIM simulation model to estimate how many annual or semiannual MDA rounds would be required to eliminate LF for Indian and West African scenarios with varied pre-control endemicity and coverage levels. Results were used to estimate total program costs assuming a target population of 100,000 eligibles, a 3% discount rate, and not counting the costs of donated drugs. A sensitivity analysis was done to investigate the robustness of these results with varied assumptions for key parameters. Model predictions suggested that semiannual MDA will require the same number of MDA rounds to achieve LF elimination as annual MDA in most scenarios. Thus semiannual MDA programs should achieve this goal in half of the time required for annual programs. Due to efficiency gains, total program costs for semiannual MDA programs are projected to be lower than those for annual MDA programs in most scenarios. A sensitivity analysis showed that this conclusion is robust. Semiannual MDA is likely to shorten the time and lower the cost required for LF elimination in countries where it can be implemented. This strategy may improve prospects for global elimination of LF by the target year 2020.

Payer and Pharmaceutical Manufacturer Considerations for Outcomes-Based Agreements in the United States.

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, Joshua D; Sheer, Rich; Pasquale, Margaret; Sudharshan, Lavanya; Axelsen, Kirsten; Subedi, Prasun; Wiederkehr, Daniel; Brownfield, Fred; Kamal-Bahl, Sachin

2018-01-01

Considerable interest exists among health care payers and pharmaceutical manufacturers in designing outcomes-based agreements (OBAs) for medications for which evidence on real-world effectiveness is limited at product launch. To build hypothetical OBA models in which both payer and manufacturer can benefit. Models were developed for a hypothetical hypercholesterolemia OBA, in which the OBA was assumed to increase market access for a newly marketed medication. Fixed inputs were drug and outcome event costs from the literature over a 1-year OBA period. Model estimates were developed using a range of inputs for medication effectiveness, medical cost offsets, and the treated population size. Positive or negative feedback to the manufacturer was incorporated on the basis of expectations of drug performance through changes in the reimbursement level. Model simulations demonstrated that parameters had the greatest impact on payer cost and manufacturer reimbursement. Models suggested that changes in the size of the population treated and drug effectiveness had the largest influence on reimbursement and costs. Despite sharing risk for potential product underperformance, manufacturer reimbursement increased relative to having no OBA, if the OBA improved market access for the new product. Although reduction in medical costs did not fully offset the cost of the medication, the payer could still save on net costs per patient relative to having no OBA by tying reimbursement to drug effectiveness. Pharmaceutical manufacturers and health care payers have demonstrated interest in OBAs, and under a certain set of assumptions both may benefit. Copyright © 2018 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of an Automated Medication System Implemented in a Danish Hospital Setting.

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Risør, Bettina Wulff; Lisby, Marianne; Sørensen, Jan

To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of an automated medication system (AMS) implemented in a Danish hospital setting. An economic evaluation was performed alongside a controlled before-and-after effectiveness study with one control ward and one intervention ward. The primary outcome measure was the number of errors in the medication administration process observed prospectively before and after implementation. To determine the difference in proportion of errors after implementation of the AMS, logistic regression was applied with the presence of error(s) as the dependent variable. Time, group, and interaction between time and group were the independent variables. The cost analysis used the hospital perspective with a short-term incremental costing approach. The total 6-month costs with and without the AMS were calculated as well as the incremental costs. The number of avoided administration errors was related to the incremental costs to obtain the cost-effectiveness ratio expressed as the cost per avoided administration error. The AMS resulted in a statistically significant reduction in the proportion of errors in the intervention ward compared with the control ward. The cost analysis showed that the AMS increased the ward's 6-month cost by €16,843. The cost-effectiveness ratio was estimated at €2.01 per avoided administration error, €2.91 per avoided procedural error, and €19.38 per avoided clinical error. The AMS was effective in reducing errors in the medication administration process at a higher overall cost. The cost-effectiveness analysis showed that the AMS was associated with affordable cost-effectiveness rates. Copyright © 2017 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A Performance/Cost Evaluation for a GPU-Based Drug Discovery Application on Volunteer Computing

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Guerrero, Ginés D.; Imbernón, Baldomero; García, José M.

2014-01-01

Bioinformatics is an interdisciplinary research field that develops tools for the analysis of large biological databases, and, thus, the use of high performance computing (HPC) platforms is mandatory for the generation of useful biological knowledge. The latest generation of graphics processing units (GPUs) has democratized the use of HPC as they push desktop computers to cluster-level performance. Many applications within this field have been developed to leverage these powerful and low-cost architectures. However, these applications still need to scale to larger GPU-based systems to enable remarkable advances in the fields of healthcare, drug discovery, genome research, etc. The inclusion of GPUs in HPC systems exacerbates power and temperature issues, increasing the total cost of ownership (TCO). This paper explores the benefits of volunteer computing to scale bioinformatics applications as an alternative to own large GPU-based local infrastructures. We use as a benchmark a GPU-based drug discovery application called BINDSURF that their computational requirements go beyond a single desktop machine. Volunteer computing is presented as a cheap and valid HPC system for those bioinformatics applications that need to process huge amounts of data and where the response time is not a critical factor. PMID:25025055

Projecting the epidemiological effect, cost-effectiveness and transmission of HIV drug resistance in Vietnam associated with viral load monitoring strategies.

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Pham, Quang Duy; Wilson, David P; Nguyen, Thuong Vu; Do, Nhan Thi; Truong, Lien Xuan; Nguyen, Long Thanh; Zhang, Lei

2016-05-01

The objective of this study was to investigate the potential epidemiological impact of viral load (VL) monitoring and its cost-effectiveness in Vietnam, where transmitted HIV drug resistance (TDR) prevalence has increased from HIV drug-resistance tests. We assessed the cost per disability-adjusted life year (DALY) averted for each scenario. Projecting expected ART scale-up levels, to approximately double the number of people on ART by 2030, will lead to an estimated 18 510 cases (95% CI: 9120-34 600 cases) of TDR and 55 180 cases (95% CI: 40 540-65 900 cases) of acquired drug resistance (ADR) in the absence of VL monitoring. This projection corresponds to a TDR prevalence of 16% (95% CI: 11%-24%) and ADR of 18% (95% CI: 15%-20%). Annual or biennial VL monitoring with 30% coverage is expected to relieve 12%-31% of TDR (2260-5860 cases), 25%-59% of ADR (9620-22 650 cases), 2%-6% of HIV-related deaths (360-880 cases) and 19 270-51 400 DALYs during 2015-30. The 30% coverage of VL monitoring is estimated to cost US$4848-5154 per DALY averted. The projected additional cost for implementing this strategy is US$105-268 million over 2015-30. Our study suggests that a programmatically achievable 30% coverage of VL monitoring can have considerable benefits for individuals and leads to population health benefits by reducing the overall national burden of HIV drug resistance. It is marginally cost-effective according to common willingness-to-pay thresholds. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Cost-effectiveness of adding bedaquiline to drug regimens for the treatment of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis in the UK.

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Lara J Wolfson

Full Text Available To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of adding bedaquiline to a background regimen (BR of drugs for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB in the United Kingdom (UK.A cohort-based Markov model was developed to estimate the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of bedaquiline plus BR (BBR versus BR alone (BR in the treatment of MDR-TB, over a 10-year time horizon. A National Health Service (NHS and personal social services perspective was considered. Cost-effectiveness was evaluated in terms of Quality-Adjusted Life Years (QALYs and Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs. Data were sourced from a phase II, placebo-controlled trial, NHS reference costs, and the literature; the US list price of bedaquiline was used and converted to pounds (£18,800. Costs and effectiveness were discounted at a rate of 3.5% per annum. Probabilistic and deterministic sensitivity analysis was conducted.The total discounted cost per patient (pp on BBR was £106,487, compared with £117,922 for BR. The total discounted QALYs pp were 5.16 for BBR and 4.01 for BR. The addition of bedaquiline to a BR resulted in a cost-saving of £11,434 and an additional 1.14 QALYs pp over a 10-year period, and is therefore considered to be the dominant (less costly and more effective strategy over BR. BBR remained dominant in the majority of sensitivity analyses, with a 81% probability of being dominant versus BR in the probabilistic analysis.In the UK, bedaquiline is likely to be cost-effective and cost-saving, compared with the current MDR-TB standard of care under a range of scenarios. Cost-savings over a 10-year period were realized from reductions in length of hospitalization, which offset the bedaquiline drug costs. The cost-benefit conclusions held after several sensitivity analyses, thus validating assumptions made, and suggesting that the results would hold even if the actual price of bedaquiline in the UK were higher than in the US.

Guidelines for conducting pharmaceutical budget impact analyses for submission to public drug plans in Canada.

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Marshall, Deborah A; Douglas, Patrick R; Drummond, Michael F; Torrance, George W; Macleod, Stuart; Manti, Orlando; Cheruvu, Lokanadha; Corvari, Ron

2008-01-01

Until now, there has been no standardized method of performing and presenting budget impact analyses (BIAs) in Canada. Nevertheless, most drug plan managers have been requiring this economic data to inform drug reimbursement decisions. This paper describes the process used to develop the Canadian BIA Guidelines; describes the Guidelines themselves, including the model template; and compares this guidance with other guidance on BIAs. The intended audience includes those who develop, submit or use BIA models, and drug plan managers who evaluate BIA submissions. The Patented Medicine Prices Review Board (PMPRB) initiated the development of the Canadian BIA Guidelines on behalf of the National Prescription Drug Utilisation Information System (NPDUIS). The findings and recommendations from a needs assessment with respect to BIA submissions were reviewed to inform guideline development. In addition, a literature review was performed to identify existing BIA guidance. The detailed guidance was developed on this basis, and with the input of the NPDUIS Advisory Committee, including drug plan managers from multiple provinces in Canada and a representative from the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health. A Microsoft Excel-based interactive model template was designed to support BIA model development. Input regarding the guidelines and model template was sought from each NPDUIS Advisory Committee member to ensure compatibility with existing drug plan needs. Decisions were made by consensus through multiple rounds of review and discussion. Finally, BIA guidance in Canadian provinces and other countries were compared on the basis of multiple criteria. The BIA guidelines consist of three major sections: Analytic Framework, Inputs and Data Sources, and Reporting Format. The Analytic Framework section contains a discussion of nine general issues surrounding BIAs (model design, analytic perspective, time horizon, target population, costing, scenarios to be compared

IMPACT OF HEALTH TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT IN LITIGATION CONCERNING ACCESS TO HIGH-COST DRUGS.

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Aleman, Alicia; Perez Galan, Ana

2017-01-01

The impact of health technology assessment (HTA) in the judicialization of the right of health has not been deeply studied in Latin American countries. The purpose of this study is to review the process of judicialization of the access to high cost drugs in Uruguay and assess the impact HTAs have had on this process. The methodology used for this study included a comprehensive literature search in electronic databases, local journals, internal documents developed in the Ministry of Health, as well as conducting interviews with key informants. Judicialization of the access of high cost drugs has been increasing since 2010. The strategy of the Ministry of Health of Uruguay to decrease this problem included the organization of roundtables with judges and other stakeholders on the basis of HTA, the training of defense lawyers in the use and interpretation of HTA, and the participation of a professional who develops HTA in the preparation of the defense arguments. A year after the implementation of this strategy, 25 percent of writs of protection were won by the Ministry of Health. Even though the strategy implemented was effective in reducing the loss of litigations, it was not effective in reducing the growing number of writs of protection. It is essential to address this problem in a broad debate and to promote understanding between the parties.

Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of the Self-Management Program for Thai Patients with Metabolic Syndrome.

Science.gov (United States)

Sakulsupsiri, Anut; Sakthong, Phantipa; Winit-Watjana, Win

2016-05-01

Lifestyle modification programs are partly evaluated for their usefulness. This study aimed to assess the cost-effectiveness and healthy lifestyle persistence of a self-management program (SMP) for patients with metabolic syndrome (MetS) in Thai health care settings. A cost-effectiveness analysis was performed on the basis of an intervention study of 90 patients with MetS randomly allocated to the SMP and control groups. A Markov model with the Difference-in-Difference method was used to predict the lifetime costs from a societal perspective and quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs), of which 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated by bootstrapping. The cost-effectiveness analysis, along with healthy lifestyle persistence, was performed using the discount rate of 3% per annum. Parameter uncertainties were identified using one-way and probabilistic sensitivity analyses. The lifetime costs tended to decrease in both groups. The SMP could save lifetime costs (-2310 baht; 95% CI -5960 to 1400) and gain QALYs (0.0098; 95% CI -0.0003 to 0.0190), compared with ordinary care. The probability of cost-effectiveness was 99.4% from the Monte-Carlo simulation, and the program was deemed cost-effective at dropout rates below 69% per year as determined by the threshold of 160,000 baht per QALY gained. The cost of macrovascular complications was the most influencing variable for the overall incremental cost-effectiveness ratio. The SMP provided by the health care settings is marginally cost-effective, and the persistence results support the implementation of the program to minimize the complications and economic burden of patients with MetS. Copyright © 2016 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Science.gov (United States)

Ríos, Pedro Rizo; Rivera, Aurora González; Oropeza, Itzel Rivas; Rivas Bocanegra, Ruth E

2013-12-01

The high costs generated by the current epidemiological profile and the introduction of new technologies, impact on public health systems, this situation is complicated when the health budget is low and causes the drug to be paid by the patient's pocket. In this situation it is necessary to design strategies that strengthen the approval of drugs that will be used in public health institutions in Mexico. To describe the results of the drug approval process for use in public health institutions to ensure the efficacy, safety, and efficiency of health technologies used in public health institutions in Mexico. We conducted a cross-sectional drug approval process, from September 2011 to December 2012, with a descriptive analysis for each stage in the process considered. Of the 394 applications received for approval of health technology, 244 (62%) were for drugs; of these, 151 (62%) met the requirements for evaluation (32% and 68% were modifications inclusions), finally was approved of 42% (61% of the changes and 33% of inclusions). The 73% of the applications were for consensus approval, 12% were conditioned at low price and 6% were approved by majority vote. The main reasons for refusal were lack of clinical evidence (31%) and methodological problems in the economic evaluation (27%). The strengthening of the process was conducted with methodological rigor based on critical analysis of scientific evidence, with transparency and legitimacy under a legal framework to promote resource optimization. The highest percentage of requests was for drugs which are the most commonly used therapeutic technology; for this reason it requires a proper selection process to ensure greater health benefit that ensures efficient use of economic resources. The economic evaluation was a support tool to consider in addition to price, the value of health determined by the quality of evidence, establishing a GDP per capita as a threshold to define a drug as an efficient alternative. © 2013

Drug Utilization Patterns and Costs of Erythropoiesis-Stimulating Agents in an Outpatient Setting in Greece.

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Papachristos, Apostolos; Kani, Chara; Litsa, Panagiota; Valsami, Georgia; Souliotis, Kyriakos; Saridi, Maria; Markantonis, Sophia

2016-05-01

Anemia in the elderly is often related to a higher prevalence of chronic diseases such as chronic kidney failure, arthritis, and malignancy. Erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) have been used for years to effectively treat anemia and when used appropriately can substantially improve the health status and quality of life of older adults. Following the 2008 recession in Greece, the government introduced ESA price control restrictions, but no prescribing restrictions, in an effort to reduce drug expenditure. ESA prescribing patterns and treatment costs were analyzed to determine inappropriate or appropriate use of these agents and related health care resources in Greece. A retrospective register-based drug utilization study was carried out using data from prescriptions dispensed at the public pharmacy of the largest social insurance fund (IKA-ETAM), for patients receiving ESAs over a six-month period. For each patient, demographic data, ESA dosage regimen, treatment indication and cost, prescriber specialty, and prescription origin were recorded. A total of 14,387 prescriptions from 6,074 patients (median age 74 years) were reviewed. A substantial number of patients (13.5%) were treated for off-label indications, for which the average cost per patient per indication was higher. ESA dosage/frequency of administration varied but was in accordance with recommendations. The percentage of patients who received innovator and biosimilar erythropoietin (EPO) was 88% and 12%, respectively. For the optimization of ESA utilization and the reduction of treatment costs, strict ESA prescription monitoring, development of registries, and criteria for off-label indications and biosimilar use in naive patients under the umbrella of risk-sharing agreements should be proposed.

The Questionable Economic Case for Value-Based Drug Pricing in Market Health Systems.

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Pauly, Mark V

2017-02-01

This article investigates the economic theory and interpretation of the concept of "value-based pricing" for new breakthrough drugs with no close substitutes in a context (such as the United States) in which a drug firm with market power sells its product to various buyers. The interpretation is different from that in a country that evaluates medicines for a single public health insurance plan or a set of heavily regulated plans. It is shown that there will not ordinarily be a single value-based price but rather a schedule of prices with different volumes of buyers at each price. Hence, it is incorrect to term a particular price the value-based price, or to argue that the profit-maximizing monopoly price is too high relative to some hypothesized value-based price. When effectiveness of treatment or value of health is heterogeneous, the profit-maximizing price can be higher than that associated with assumed values of quality-adjusted life-years. If the firm sets a price higher than the value-based price for a set of potential buyers, the optimal strategy of the buyers is to decline to purchase that drug. The profit-maximizing price will come closer to a unique value-based price if demand is less heterogeneous. Copyright © 2017 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

[Operating cost analysis of anaesthesia: activity based costing (ABC analysis)].

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Majstorović, Branislava M; Kastratović, Dragana A; Vučović, Dragan S; Milaković, Branko D; Miličić, Biljana R

2011-01-01

Cost of anaesthesiology represent defined measures to determine a precise profile of expenditure estimation of surgical treatment, which is important regarding planning of healthcare activities, prices and budget. In order to determine the actual value of anaestesiological services, we started with the analysis of activity based costing (ABC) analysis. Retrospectively, in 2005 and 2006, we estimated the direct costs of anestesiological services (salaries, drugs, supplying materials and other: analyses and equipment.) of the Institute of Anaesthesia and Resuscitation of the Clinical Centre of Serbia. The group included all anesthetized patients of both sexes and all ages. We compared direct costs with direct expenditure, "each cost object (service or unit)" of the Republican Healthcare Insurance. The Summary data of the Departments of Anaesthesia documented in the database of the Clinical Centre of Serbia. Numerical data were utilized and the numerical data were estimated and analyzed by computer programs Microsoft Office Excel 2003 and SPSS for Windows. We compared using the linear model of direct costs and unit costs of anaesthesiological services from the Costs List of the Republican Healthcare Insurance. Direct costs showed 40% of costs were spent on salaries, (32% on drugs and supplies, and 28% on other costs, such as analyses and equipment. The correlation of the direct costs of anaestesiological services showed a linear correlation with the unit costs of the Republican Healthcare Insurance. During surgery, costs of anaesthesia would increase by 10% the surgical treatment cost of patients. Regarding the actual costs of drugs and supplies, we do not see any possibility of costs reduction. Fixed elements of direct costs provide the possibility of rationalization of resources in anaesthesia.

A Performance/Cost Evaluation for a GPU-Based Drug Discovery Application on Volunteer Computing

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Ginés D. Guerrero

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Bioinformatics is an interdisciplinary research field that develops tools for the analysis of large biological databases, and, thus, the use of high performance computing (HPC platforms is mandatory for the generation of useful biological knowledge. The latest generation of graphics processing units (GPUs has democratized the use of HPC as they push desktop computers to cluster-level performance. Many applications within this field have been developed to leverage these powerful and low-cost architectures. However, these applications still need to scale to larger GPU-based systems to enable remarkable advances in the fields of healthcare, drug discovery, genome research, etc. The inclusion of GPUs in HPC systems exacerbates power and temperature issues, increasing the total cost of ownership (TCO. This paper explores the benefits of volunteer computing to scale bioinformatics applications as an alternative to own large GPU-based local infrastructures. We use as a benchmark a GPU-based drug discovery application called BINDSURF that their computational requirements go beyond a single desktop machine. Volunteer computing is presented as a cheap and valid HPC system for those bioinformatics applications that need to process huge amounts of data and where the response time is not a critical factor.

Cost-Effectiveness Comparison of Fidaxomicin and Vancomycin for Treatment of Clostridium difficile Infection: A Markov Model Based on Data from a South West Balkan Country in Socioeconomic Transition.

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Marković, Veroljub; Kostić, Marina; Iličković, Ivana; Janković, Slobodan M

2014-09-01

Recent studies have shown that fidaxomicin, a novel antibiotic, can reduce the rate of complications and mortality in patients with colitis induced by Clostridium difficile. Introduction of fidaxomicin in clinical practice is limited by its high costs. The purpose of this study was to estimate the cost effectiveness of using fidaxomicin versus vancomycin in patients with colitis induced by C. difficile who did not respond to oral metronidazole. We constructed a Markov model that was than simulated by Monte-Carlo simulation using 1000 virtual patients with colitis induced by C. difficile. The perspective in our model was institutional. The time horizon was 3 months. Values of transition probabilities and therapy outcomes were estimated from the available literature, the prices of health services were obtained from the Republic Institute for Health Insurance Tariff Book, and the price of fidaxomicin was derived from data gained from the drug manufacturer. The total costs of treating one statistical patient for 3 months with fidaxomicin were higher (48,106.19 ± 118.07 Republic of Serbia dinars [RSD]; 95% confidence interval 47,988.12-48,224.27) than the total costs of treating with vancomycin (25,872.85 ± 41.44 RSD; 95% confidence interval 25,831.41-25,914.29). Our results showed that the treatment of infections induced by C. difficile with fidaxomicin correlated with a lower rate of mortality and with a smaller number of colectomies. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of fidaxomicin versus vancomycin for colitis induced by C. difficile per saved life was estimated at 2.97 million RSD and for one avoided colectomy at 10.07 million RSD. Results of our model indicate that fidaxomicin is a cost-effective therapy compared with vancomycin in patients with colitis induced by C. difficile if the outcome is life-year saved. However, if the outcome is the number of avoided colectomies, then fidaxomycin is not a cost-effective option compared with vancomycin. Copyright

Comparison of provincial prescription drug plans and the impact on patients' annual drug expenditures.

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Demers, Virginie; Melo, Magda; Jackevicius, Cynthia; Cox, Jafna; Kalavrouziotis, Dimitri; Rinfret, Stéphane; Humphries, Karin H; Johansen, Helen; Tu, Jack V; Pilote, Louise

2008-02-12

Reimbursement for outpatient prescription drugs is not mandated by the Canada Health Act or any other federal legislation. Provincial governments independently establish reimbursement plans. We sought to describe variations in publicly funded provincial drug plans across Canada and to examine the impact of this variation on patients' annual expenditures. We collected information, accurate to December 2006, about publicly funded prescription drug plans from all 10 Canadian provinces. Using clinical scenarios, we calculated the impact of provincial cost-sharing strategies on individual annual drug expenditures for 3 categories of patients with different levels of income and 2 levels of annual prescription burden ($260 and $1000). We found that eligibility criteria and cost-sharing details of the publicly funded prescription drug plans differed markedly across Canada, as did the personal financial burden due to prescription drug costs. Seniors pay 35% or less of their prescription costs in 2 provinces, but elsewhere they may pay as much as 100%. With few exceptions, nonseniors pay more than 35% of their prescription costs in every province. Most social assistance recipients pay 35% or less of their prescription costs in 5 provinces and pay no costs in the other 5. In an example of a patient with congestive heart failure, his out-of-pocket costs for a prescription burden of $1283 varied between $74 and $1332 across the provinces. Considerable interprovincial variation in publicly funded prescription drug plans results in substantial variation in annual expenditures by Canadians with identical prescription burdens. A revised pharmaceutical strategy might reduce these major inequities.

Food and Drug Administration Drug Approval Process: A History and Overview.

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Williams, Christopher Ty

2016-03-01

In this article, the processing of investigational and new drug applications is described and the standard and expedited review processes are examined. The efforts of the US Food and Drug Administration to ensure greater agency transparency and fiscal responsibility and intensify oversight during the drug development and approval process are reviewed. Often attributed to a decrease in the number of uninsured adults, both the increase in prescription drug sales and the high costs associated with bringing a new drug to market highlight the necessity for a streamlined and cost-effective process to deliver these drugs safely and effectively. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

[Cost-effectiveness analysis of celecoxib versus non-selective non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug therapy for the treatment of osteoarthritis in Spain: A current perspective].

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De Lossada, A; Oteo-Álvaro, Á; Giménez, S; Oyagüez, I; Rejas, J

2016-01-01

To assess the cost-effectiveness of celecoxib and non-selective non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for the treatment of osteoarthritis in clinical practice in Spain. A decision-tree model using distribution, doses, treatment duration and incidence of GI and CV events observed in the pragmatic PROBE-designed «GI-Reasons» trial was used for cost-effectiveness. Effectiveness was expressed in terms of event averted and quality-adjusted life-years (QALY) gained. QALY were calculated based on utility decrement in case of any adverse events reported in GI-Reasons trial. The National Health System perspective in Spain was applied; cost calculations included current prices of drugs plus cost of adverse events occurred. The analysis was expressed as an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio per QALY gained and per event averted. One-way and probabilistic analyses were performed. Compared with non-selective non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, at current prices, celecoxib treatment had higher overall treatment costs €201 and €157, respectively. However, celecoxib was associated with a slight increase in QALY gain and significantly lower incidence of gastrointestinal events (pcost-effectiveness ratio of €13,286 per QALY gained and €4,471 per event averted. Sensitivity analyses were robust, and confirmed the results of the base case. Celecoxib at current price may be considered as a cost-effective alternative vs. non-selective non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in the treatment of osteoarthritis in daily practice in the Spanish NHS. Copyright © 2015 Sociedad Española de Médicos de Atención Primaria (SEMERGEN). Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

How to Get Cost-Effectiveness Analysis Right? The Case of Vaccine Economics in Latin America.

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Glassman, Amanda; Cañón, Oscar; Silverman, Rachel

2016-12-01

In middle-income countries, vaccines against pneumococcal disease, rotavirus, and human papilloma virus are in general more costly, not necessarily cost saving, and less consistently cost-effective than earlier generation vaccines against measles, diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis. Budget impact is also substantial; public spending on vaccines in countries adopting new vaccines is, on average, double the amount of countries that have not adopted. Policymakers must weigh the costs and benefits of the adoption decision carefully, given the low coverage of other kinds of cost-effective health and nonhealth interventions in these same settings and relatively flat overall public spending on health as a share of gross domestic product (GDP) over time. This paper considers lessons learned from recent vaccine cost-effectiveness analyses and subsequent adoption decisions in Latin America a, largely under the auspices of the Pro Vac Initiative. The paper illustrates how small methodological choices and seemingly minor technical limitations of cost-effectiveness models can have major implications for the studies' conclusions, potentially influencing countries' subsequent vaccine adoption decisions. We evaluate the ProVac models and technical outputs against the standards and framework set out by the International Decision Support Initiative Reference Case for economic evaluation and consider the practical effects of deviations from those standards. Lessons learned are discussed, including issues of appropriate comparators, GDP-based thresholds, and use of average versus incremental cost-effectiveness ratios as a convention are assessed. The article ends with recommendations for the future. Copyright © 2016 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Financial Burden of Cancer Drug Treatment in Lebanon.

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Elias, Fadia; Khuri, Fadlo R; Adib, Salim M; Karam, Rita; Harb, Hilda; Awar, May; Zalloua, Pierre; Ammar, Walid

2016-01-01

The Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) in Lebanon provides cancer drugs free of charge for uninsured patients who account for more than half the total caseload. Other categories of cancer care are subsidized under more stringent eligibility criteria. MOPH's large database offers an excellent opportunity to analyze the cost of cancer treatment in Lebanon. Using utilization and spending data accumulated at MOPH during 20082013, the cost to the public budget of cancer drugs was assessed per case and per drug type. The average annual cost of cancer drugs was 6,475$ per patient. Total cancer drug costs were highest for breast cancer, followed by chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), colorectal cancer, lung cancer, and NonHodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), which together represented 74% of total MOPH cancer drug expenditure. The annual average cancer drug cost per case was highest for CML ($31,037), followed by NHL ($11,566). Trastuzumab represented 26% and Imatinib 15% of total MOPH cancer drug expenditure over six years. Sustained increase in cancer drug cost threatens the sustainability of MOPH coverage, so crucial for socially vulnerable citizens. To enhance the bargaining position with pharmaceutical firms for drug cost containment in a small market like Lebanon, drug price comparisons with neighboring countries which have already obtained lower prices may succeed in lowering drug costs.

Cost-Effectiveness Thresholds in Global Health: Taking a Multisectoral Perspective.

Science.gov (United States)

Remme, Michelle; Martinez-Alvarez, Melisa; Vassall, Anna

2017-04-01

Good health is a function of a range of biological, environmental, behavioral, and social factors. The consumption of quality health care services is therefore only a part of how good health is produced. Although few would argue with this, the economic framework used to allocate resources to optimize population health is applied in a way that constrains the analyst and the decision maker to health care services. This approach risks missing two critical issues: 1) multiple sectors contribute to health gain and 2) the goods and services produced by the health sector can have multiple benefits besides health. We illustrate how present cost-effectiveness thresholds could result in health losses, particularly when considering health-producing interventions in other sectors or public health interventions with multisectoral outcomes. We then propose a potentially more optimal second best approach, the so-called cofinancing approach, in which the health payer could redistribute part of its budget to other sectors, where specific nonhealth interventions achieved a health gain more efficiently than the health sector's marginal productivity (opportunity cost). Likewise, other sectors would determine how much to contribute toward such an intervention, given the current marginal productivity of their budgets. Further research is certainly required to test and validate different measurement approaches and to assess the efficiency gains from cofinancing after deducting the transaction costs that would come with such cross-sectoral coordination. Copyright © 2017 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A way for reducing drug supply chain cost for a hospital district: A case study

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Postacchini, L.; Ciarapica, F.E.; Bevilacqua, M.; Mazzuto, G.; Paciarotti, C.

2016-07-01

This work aims at providing insights to optimise healthcare logistic of the drug management, in order to deal with the healthcare expenditure cut. In this paper the effects of different drug supply chain configurations, on the resulting average stock, service level and Bullwhip effect, of the studied supply chain, is quantitatively assessed. A case study of an Italian district has been studied, taking into account three echelons: suppliers, central stock, and hospitals. A model of the various supply chain configurations has been created with the use of the simulation. Specifically, 24 supply chain configurations have been examined, stemming from the combination of several supply chain design parameters, namely: transshipment policies (Emergency Lateral Transshipment or Total Inventory Equalization); re-order and inventory management policies (Economic Order Quantity or Economic Order Interval); required service levels (90% or 95%); the number of available vans (one or two). For each configuration, hospital average stock, service level and a “Bullwhip effect” analysis are computed. To know which input variables are statistically significant, a DoE (Design of Experiments) analysis has been executed. The output of this paper provides useful insights and suggestions to optimize the healthcare logistic and drug supply chain. According to the developed DoE analysis, it can be stated that the introduction of transshipment policies provides important improvement in terms of service and stock levels. To reduce the Bullwhip effect, which results in a service level decreasing, and in a managing stock costs increasing, it is worth to adopt an EOQ re-order policy. This research gives practical recommendations to the studied system, in order to reduce costs and maintain a very satisfactory service level. This paper fulfils an identified need to study which combination of transshipment policies, re-order/inventory management policies and required service levels, can be the

A way for reducing drug supply chain cost for a hospital district: A case study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Leonardo Postacchini

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Purpose: This work aims at providing insights to optimise healthcare logistic of the drug management, in order to deal with the healthcare expenditure cut. In this paper the effects of different drug supply chain configurations, on the resulting average stock, service level and Bullwhip effect, of the studied supply chain, is quantitatively assessed. Design/methodology/approach: A case study of an Italian district has been studied, taking into account three echelons: suppliers, central stock, and hospitals. A model of the various supply chain configurations has been created with the use of the simulation. Specifically, 24 supply chain configurations have been examined, stemming from the combination of several supply chain design parameters, namely: transshipment policies (Emergency Lateral Transshipment or Total Inventory Equalization; re-order and inventory management policies (Economic Order Quantity or Economic Order Interval; required service levels (90% or 95%; the number of available vans (one or two. For each configuration, hospital average stock, service level and a “Bullwhip effect” analysis are computed. To know which input variables are statistically significant, a DoE (Design of Experiments analysis has been executed. Findings: The output of this paper provides useful insights and suggestions to optimize the healthcare logistic and drug supply chain. According to the developed DoE analysis, it can be stated that the introduction of transshipment policies provides important improvement in terms of service and stock levels. To reduce the Bullwhip effect, which results in a service level decreasing, and in a managing stock costs increasing, it is worth to adopt an EOQ re-order policy. Practical implications: This research gives practical recommendations to the studied system, in order to reduce costs and maintain a very satisfactory service level. Originality/value: This paper fulfils an identified need to study which combination of

Development of the Treatment Inventory of Costs in Psychiatric Patients: TIC-P Mini and Midi.

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Timman, Reinier; Bouwmans, Clazien; Busschbach, Jan J V; Hakkaart-van Roijen, Leona

2015-12-01

Medical costs of (psychiatric) illness can be validly measured with patient report questionnaires. These questionnaires comprise many detailed items resulting in lengthy administrations. We set out to find the minimal number of items needed to retrieve 80% and 90% of the costs as measured by the Treatment Inventory of Costs in Patients with psychiatric disorders (TIC-P). The TIC-P is a validated patient-reported outcome measure concerning the utilization of medical care and productivity losses. The present study focused on direct medical costs. We applied data of 7756 TIC-P administrations from three studies in patients with mental health care issues. Items that contribute least to the total cost were eliminated, providing that 80% and 90% of the total cost was retained. Average medical costs per patient were €658 over the last 4 weeks. The distribution of cost was highly skewed, and 5 of the 14 items of the TIC-P accounted for less than 10% of the total costs. The 80% Mini version of the TIC-P required five items: ambulatory services, private practice, day care, general hospital, and psychiatric clinic. The TIC-P Midi 90% inventory required eight items. Both had variance between the three samples in the optimal choice of the items. The number of items of the TIC-P can be reduced considerably while maintaining 80% and 90% of the medical costs estimated by the complete TIC-P. The reduced length makes the questionnaire more suitable for routine outcome monitoring. Copyright © 2015 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Effectiveness and cost effectiveness of oral pre-exposure prophylaxis in a portfolio of prevention programs for injection drug users in mixed HIV epidemics.

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Sabina S Alistar

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Pre-exposure prophylaxis with oral antiretroviral treatment (oral PrEP for HIV-uninfected injection drug users (IDUs is potentially useful in controlling HIV epidemics with a significant injection drug use component. We estimated the effectiveness and cost effectiveness of strategies for using oral PrEP in various combinations with methadone maintenance treatment (MMT and antiretroviral treatment (ART in Ukraine, a representative case for mixed HIV epidemics. METHODS AND FINDINGS: We developed a dynamic compartmental model of the HIV epidemic in a population of non-IDUs, IDUs who inject opiates, and IDUs in MMT, adding an oral PrEP program (tenofovir/emtricitabine, 49% susceptibility reduction for uninfected IDUs. We analyzed intervention portfolios consisting of oral PrEP (25% or 50% of uninfected IDUs, MMT (25% of IDUs, and ART (80% of all eligible patients. We measured health care costs, quality-adjusted life years (QALYs, HIV prevalence, HIV infections averted, and incremental cost effectiveness. A combination of PrEP for 50% of IDUs and MMT lowered HIV prevalence the most in both IDUs and the general population. ART combined with MMT and PrEP (50% access averted the most infections (14,267. For a PrEP cost of $950, the most cost-effective strategy was MMT, at $520/QALY gained versus no intervention. The next most cost-effective strategy consisted of MMT and ART, costing $1,000/QALY gained compared to MMT alone. Further adding PrEP (25% access was also cost effective by World Health Organization standards, at $1,700/QALY gained. PrEP alone became as cost effective as MMT at a cost of $650, and cost saving at $370 or less. CONCLUSIONS: Oral PrEP for IDUs can be part of an effective and cost-effective strategy to control HIV in regions where injection drug use is a significant driver of the epidemic. Where budgets are limited, focusing on MMT and ART access should be the priority, unless PrEP has low cost.

Effectiveness and Cost Effectiveness of Oral Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis in a Portfolio of Prevention Programs for Injection Drug Users in Mixed HIV Epidemics

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Alistar, Sabina S.; Owens, Douglas K.; Brandeau, Margaret L.

2014-01-01

Background Pre-exposure prophylaxis with oral antiretroviral treatment (oral PrEP) for HIV-uninfected injection drug users (IDUs) is potentially useful in controlling HIV epidemics with a significant injection drug use component. We estimated the effectiveness and cost effectiveness of strategies for using oral PrEP in various combinations with methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) and antiretroviral treatment (ART) in Ukraine, a representative case for mixed HIV epidemics. Methods and Findings We developed a dynamic compartmental model of the HIV epidemic in a population of non-IDUs, IDUs who inject opiates, and IDUs in MMT, adding an oral PrEP program (tenofovir/emtricitabine, 49% susceptibility reduction) for uninfected IDUs. We analyzed intervention portfolios consisting of oral PrEP (25% or 50% of uninfected IDUs), MMT (25% of IDUs), and ART (80% of all eligible patients). We measured health care costs, quality-adjusted life years (QALYs), HIV prevalence, HIV infections averted, and incremental cost effectiveness. A combination of PrEP for 50% of IDUs and MMT lowered HIV prevalence the most in both IDUs and the general population. ART combined with MMT and PrEP (50% access) averted the most infections (14,267). For a PrEP cost of $950, the most cost-effective strategy was MMT, at $520/QALY gained versus no intervention. The next most cost-effective strategy consisted of MMT and ART, costing $1,000/QALY gained compared to MMT alone. Further adding PrEP (25% access) was also cost effective by World Health Organization standards, at $1,700/QALY gained. PrEP alone became as cost effective as MMT at a cost of $650, and cost saving at $370 or less. Conclusions Oral PrEP for IDUs can be part of an effective and cost-effective strategy to control HIV in regions where injection drug use is a significant driver of the epidemic. Where budgets are limited, focusing on MMT and ART access should be the priority, unless PrEP has low cost. PMID:24489747

The cost of chronic constipation.

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Pekmezaris, Renée; Aversa, Lorraine; Wolf-Klein, Gisele; Cedarbaum, Jesse; Reid-Durant, Marie

2002-01-01

This study investigates the cost of chronic constipation care. A consecutive sample of 31 chronically constipated elderly patients. A not-for-profit long-term care facility in New Hyde Park, New York. Patient demographics and functional status, including activity of daily living scores, diagnosis, and medications were recorded. All constipation medication costs were obtained using the average wholesale price obtained from the Redbook (November 1999). All subjects were closely monitored for constipation care during two shifts a day (from 7:00 AM to 11:00 PM), over a 6-week period resulting in the collection of 1,860 shift reports. Each component of constipation treatment cost, namely drugs and staff time for drug administration, was identified and analyzed. The average number of nursing interactions for constipation treatment was 23.3 per month. The average cost per day for care specifically for the treatment of constipation was 2.11 US dollars. Fleet Enema trade mark and milk of magnesia accounted for 49% of all treatments. Administration (staffing) costs accounted for 70% of total drug costs. Although laxatives are the most frequently prescribed drugs used in long-term care settings, drug utilization patterns and associated costs in the treatment of chronic constipation have not been systematically reported. Our study identified staffing as the major cost factor in constipation care.

Cost-utility analysis of antithyroid drug therapy versus 131I therapy for Graves' disease

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hayashi, Katsumi; Abe, Katsumi; Sakata, Ikuko; Sakaguchi, Chiharu; Yamamoto, Kentaro; Kosuda, Shigeru

2005-01-01

There is no comparative cost-utility study between 131 I therapy and antithyroid drugs (ATD) therapy for Graves' disease, though 131 I therapy has higher remission rate and less side effects. The objective of the study was to analyze the cost-utility of ATD therapy versus 131 I therapy by calculating life-long medical costs and utility, based on the responses of Graves' disease patients to questionnaires. To determine the expected cost and expected utility, a decision tree analysis was designed on the basis of the 2 competing strategies of ATD therapy versus 131 I therapy. A simulation of 1,000 female patients weighing≥50 kg who assumed to experience the onset of Graves' disease at the age of 30, to first complain of thyrotoxic symptoms and moderate goiter 2-3 mo. previously, and to undergo a 40-years-long cohort study, was created for each strategy using a decision tree and baselines of other relevant variables. The variables and costs were based on the literature and hospital bills. The maximum and minimum values of utility were defined as 1.0 and 0.0, respectively. Future costs and utilities were discounted 5%. The medical costs and utilities were 85,739-88,650 yen/patient/40 years and 16.47-16.56/patient/40 years, respectively, for the ATD therapy strategy, and 81,842 yen/patient/40 years and 17.41/patient/40 years, respectively, for the 131 I therapy strategy. These results quantitatively demonstrated that the 131 I therapy strategy was superior to the ATD therapy strategy in terms of both cost and utility. 131 I therapy should be used more widely in Japan because of its greater utility and lower cost. (author)

Antiepileptic Drug Titration and Related Health Care Resource Use and Costs.

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Fishman, Jesse; Kalilani, Linda; Song, Yan; Swallow, Elyse; Wild, Imane

2018-02-27

Unexpected breakthrough seizures resulting from suboptimal antiepileptic drug (AED) dosing during the titration period, as well as adverse events resulting from rapid AED titration, may influence the titration schedule and significantly increase health care resource use (HRU) and health care costs. To assess the relationship between AEDs, HRU, and costs during AED titration and maintenance. Practicing neurologists were recruited from a nationwide panel to provide up to 3 patient records each for this retrospective medical chart review. Patients with epilepsy who were aged ≥ 18 years and had initiated an AED between January 1, 2014, and January 1, 2016, were followed for 6 months from AED initiation. Titration duration was the time from AED initiation to the beginning of treatment maintenance as determined by the physician. Outcomes were epilepsy-specific HRU (hospitalizations, emergency department visits, outpatient visits, physician referral, laboratory testing/diagnostic imaging, and phone calls) and related costs that occurred during the titration or maintenance treatment periods. Of 811 patients, 156, 128, 125, 120, 114, 107, and 61 initiated the following AEDs: levetiracetam, lamotrigine, lacosamide, valproate, topiramate, carbamazepine, and phenytoin, respectively. Most patients (619/803 [77.1%] with complete AED data) received monotherapy. Baseline characteristics were similar across AEDs (mean [SD] age, 36.6 [14.4] years; 59.0% male). Kaplan-Meier estimates of titration duration ranged from 3.3 weeks (phenytoin) to 8.1 weeks (lamotrigine). From titration to maintenance, the overall incidence of HRU per person-month decreased 54.5%-89.3% for each HRU measure except outpatient visits (24.6% decrease). Total epilepsy-related costs decreased from $80.48 to $42.77 per person-month, or 46.9% from titration to maintenance. AED titration periods had higher HRU rates and costs than AED maintenance, suggesting that use of AEDs with shorter titration requirements

Cost of illness of Crohn's disease.

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Bodger, Keith

2002-01-01

Crohn's disease is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease of unknown aetiology which affects around 35,000 people in the UK (population 56.8 million). The potential for onset in early adult life, disease chronicity and a need for hospitalisation and surgery mean that the disease can be associated with substantial healthcare costs. Cost-of-illness studies focusing on direct medical costs have identified that over half the average costs associated with the disease relate to hospital costs. Estimates of the contribution of drug costs to the total direct economic burden have varied between 4.6 and 25%. Figures for average annual direct costs per patient in the US have been put at between US dollars 6561 (1990 values) and US dollars 12,417 (1994 values), whereas European studies have given much lower cost estimates (US dollars 655, 1994 values). However, all studies have highlighted that much of the total cost of illness relates to extensive interventions required by a small proportion of severely affected individuals. Indirect costs associated with reduced productivity in Crohn's disease can be high, with long periods of absenteeism and early disability. However, most patients (90%) remain in the workforce and life expectancy is relatively normal. A variety of drugs are employed for the treatment of Crohn's disease, both in an attempt to induce clinical remission in active disease and to maintain remission once this has been achieved. Comparative data on cost effectiveness is lacking, though crude estimates based on randomised trials suggest that the frequently prescribed aminosalicylates, which have only modest efficacy, are a relatively costly drug option. The costs associated with adverse drug effects, particularly for corticosteroids, have not been formally quantified. Despite high costs, new drug therapies for more severe disease, such as anti-tumour necrosis factor (TNF-alpha) antibodies, may prove a cost-effective option if the need for hospitalisation is reduced

When patients have to pay a share of drug costs: effects on frequency of physician visits, hospital admissions and filling of prescriptions.

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Anis, Aslam H; Guh, Daphne P; Lacaille, Diane; Marra, Carlo A; Rashidi, Amir A; Li, Xin; Esdaile, John M

2005-11-22

Previous research has shown that patient cost-sharing leads to a reduction in overall health resource utilization. However, in Canada, where health care is provided free of charge except for prescription drugs, the converse may be true. We investigated the effect of prescription drug cost-sharing on overall health care utilization among elderly patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Elderly patients (> or = 65 years) were selected from a population-based cohort with rheumatoid arthritis. Those who had paid the maximum amount of dispensing fees (200 dollars) for the calendar year (from 1997 to 2000) were included in the analysis for that year. We defined the period during which the annual maximum co-payment had not been reached as the "cost-sharing period" and the one beyond which the annual maximum co-payment had been reached as the "free period." We compared health services utilization patterns between these periods during the 4 study years, including the number of hospital admissions, the number of physician visits, the number of prescriptions filled and the number of prescriptions per physician visit. Overall, 2968 elderly patients reached the annual maximum cost-sharing amount at least once during the study periods. Across the 4 years, there were 0.38 more physician visits per month (p filled per month (p = 0.001) and 0.52 fewer prescriptions filled per physician visit (p health care system, the implementation of cost-containment policies such as prescription drug cost-sharing may have the unintended effect of increasing overall health utilization among elderly patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

A Cost Analysis of Hospitalizations for Infections Related to Injection Drug Use at a County Safety-Net Hospital in Miami, Florida

OpenAIRE

Tookes, Hansel; Diaz, Chanelle; Li, Hua; Khalid, Rafi; Doblecki-Lewis, Susanne

2015-01-01

Background Infections related to injection drug use are common. Harm reduction strategies such as syringe exchange programs and skin care clinics aim to prevent these infections in injection drug users (IDUs). Syringe exchange programs are currently prohibited by law in Florida. The goal of this study was to estimate the mortality and cost of injection drug use-related bacterial infections over a 12-month period to the county safety-net hospital in Miami, Florida. Additionally, the prevalence...

Cost effectiveness of liraglutide in type II diabetes: a systematic review.

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Zueger, Patrick M; Schultz, Neil M; Lee, Todd A

2014-11-01

As novel treatments for type II diabetes enter the market, there is a need to assess their long-term clinical and economic outcomes against currently available treatment alternatives. Objective compilation and evaluation of current pharmacoeconomic evidence can assist payers and decision makers in determining the appropriate place in therapy of a new medication. Our objective was to review the existing pharmacoeconomic literature evaluating the cost effectiveness and overall costs of treatment associated with liraglutide in type II diabetes. Medical literature indexed in MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, and EconLit through 1 June 2014 was searched. Full-text, English-language cost-effectiveness, cost-utility, and other cost analyses in type II diabetes that compared liraglutide to one or more anti-diabetic agents were included. Initial screening was based on relevance of titles and abstracts followed by examination of the study methods of each remaining manuscript. Studies conducting original pharmacoeconomic analyses were chosen for inclusion. Articles meeting the inclusion criteria were retrieved, and information on the study design and results was abstracted. Abstracted data elements were chosen and assessed based on the authors' experience as well as criteria set forth by the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) Health Economic Evaluation Publication Guidelines Task Force. Additionally, reported incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) and selected sensitivity analysis results were converted to $US, year 2012 values, in order to facilitate comparison across studies. A total of six cost studies and seven cost-utility studies were identified for inclusion. Across cost studies, liraglutide treatment resulted in costs ranging from a loss of $US2,730 (liraglutide 1.8 mg vs. sitagliptin; pharmacy costs only) over a 1-year time horizon to a savings of $US9,367 (liraglutide 1.8 mg vs. glimepiride; diabetes

Hospitalization resource use and costs before and after TIA and stroke: results from a population-based cohort study (OXVASC).

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Luengo-Fernandez, Ramon; Silver, Louise E; Gutnikov, Sergei A; Gray, Alastair M; Rothwell, Peter M

2013-01-01

High hospitalization rates, prolonged length of stay, and increased risks of subsequent events mean a steep increase in health care usage after stroke. No study, however, has examined to what extent increased costs after transient ischemic attack (TIA) or stroke are due to hospitalizations for the initial event, recurrent events, and/or nonvascular hospitalizations, and how costs compare with the year prior to the event. We studied patients in a population-based cohort study (Oxford Vascular Study) in the United Kingdom from 2003 to 2007. Hospitalization and cost details were obtained from patients' individualized Hospital Episode Statistics records. A total of 295 incident TIA and 439 incident stroke patients were included. For patients with stroke, average costs increased from £1437 in the year pre-event to £6629 in the year post-event (PTIA, costs increased from £876 1 year before the event to £2410 in the year post-event (PTIA incurred nonsignificantly higher costs due to hospitalizations linked to subsequent vascular events (£774) than for hospitalizations linked to the index TIA (£720). Hospital costs increased after TIA or stroke, primarily because of increased initial cerebrovascular hospitalizations. The finding that costs due to nonvascular diagnoses also increased after TIA or stroke appears, in part, to be explained by the miscoding of TIA/stroke-related hospitalizations in electronic information systems. Copyright © 2013 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Controlling prescription drug costs: regulation and the role of interest groups in Medicare and the Veterans Health Administration.

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Frakt, Austin B; Pizer, Steven D; Hendricks, Ann M

2008-12-01

Medicare and the Veterans Health Administration (VA) both finance large outpatient prescription drug programs, though in very different ways. In the ongoing debate on how to control Medicare spending, some suggest that Medicare should negotiate directly with drug manufacturers, as the VA does. In this article we relate the role of interest groups to policy differences between Medicare and the VA and, in doing so, explain why such a large change to the Medicare drug program is unlikely. We argue that key policy differences are attributable to stable differences in interest group involvement. While this stability makes major changes in Medicare unlikely, it suggests the possibility of leveraging VA drug purchasing to achieve savings in Medicare. This could be done through a VA-administered drug-only benefit for Medicare-enrolled veterans. Such a partnership could incorporate key elements of both programs: capacity to accept large numbers of enrollees (like Medicare) and leverage to negotiate prescription drug prices (like the VA). Moreover, it could be implemented at no cost to the VA while achieving savings for Medicare and beneficiaries.

Cost and effectiveness evaluation of prophylactic HPV vaccine in developing countries.

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Termrungruanglert, Wichai; Havanond, Piyalamporn; Khemapech, Nipon; Lertmaharit, Somrat; Pongpanich, Sathirakorn; Khorprasert, Chonlakiet; Taneepanichskul, Surasak

2012-01-01

Approximately 80% of cervical cancer cases occur in developing countries. In Thailand, cervical cancer has been the leading cancer in females, with an incidence of 24.7 cases per 100,000 individuals per year. We constructed a decision model to simulate the lifetime economic impact for women in the context of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection prevention. HPV-related diseases were of interest: cervical cancer, cervical intraepithelial neoplasia, and genital warts. The two strategies used were 1) current practice and 2) prophylactic quadrivalent vaccine against HPV types 6, 11, 16, and 18. We developed a Markov simulation model to evaluate the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of prophylactic HPV vaccine. Women transition through a model either healthy or developing HPV or its related diseases, or die from cervical cancer or from other causes according to transitional probabilities under the Thai health-care context. Costs from a provider perspective were obtained from King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital. Costs and benefits were discounted at 3% annually. Compared with no prophylactic HPV vaccine, the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio was 160,649.50 baht per quality-adjusted life-year. The mortality rate was reduced by 54.8%. The incidence of cervical cancer, cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 1, cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2/3, and genital warts was reduced by up to 55.1%. Compared with commonly accepted standard thresholds recommended by the World Health Organization Commission on Macroeconomics and Health, the nationwide coverage of HPV vaccination in girls is likely to be cost-effective in Thailand. Copyright © 2012 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The mass-action law based algorithm for cost-effective approach for cancer drug discovery and development.

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Chou, Ting-Chao

2011-01-01

The mass-action law based system analysis via mathematical induction and deduction lead to the generalized theory and algorithm that allows computerized simulation of dose-effect dynamics with small size experiments using a small number of data points in vitro, in animals, and in humans. The median-effect equation of the mass-action law deduced from over 300 mechanism specific-equations has been shown to be the unified theory that serves as the common-link for complicated biomedical systems. After using the median-effect principle as the common denominator, its applications are mechanism-independent, drug unit-independent, and dynamic order-independent; and can be used generally for single drug analysis or for multiple drug combinations in constant-ratio or non-constant ratios. Since the "median" is the common link and universal reference point in biological systems, these general enabling lead to computerized quantitative bio-informatics for econo-green bio-research in broad disciplines. Specific applications of the theory, especially relevant to drug discovery, drug combination, and clinical trials, have been cited or illustrated in terms of algorithms, experimental design and computerized simulation for data analysis. Lessons learned from cancer research during the past fifty years provide a valuable opportunity to reflect, and to improve the conventional divergent approach and to introduce a new convergent avenue, based on the mass-action law principle, for the efficient cancer drug discovery and the low-cost drug development.

Cost and appropriateness of treating asthma with fixed-combination drugs in local health care units in Italy

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Ruggeri I

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Isabella Ruggeri,1 Donatello Bragato,2 Giorgio L Colombo,3,4 Emanuela Valla,3 Sergio Di Matteo41Servizio Governo Area Farmaceutica, Azienda Sanitaria Locale, Milano, Binasco, 2Data Solution Provider, Milan, 3University of Pavia, Department of Drug Sciences, School of Pharmacy, 4Studi Analisi Valutazioni Economiche, MilanBackground: Bronchial asthma is a chronic airways disease and is considered to be one of the major health problems in the Western world. During the last decade, a significant increase in the use of β2-agonists in combination with inhaled corticosteroids has been observed. The aim of this study was to assess the appropriateness of expenditure on these agents in an asthmatic population treated in a real practice setting.Methods: This study used data for a resident population of 635,906 citizens in the integrated patient database (Banca Dati Assistito of a local health care unit (Milano 2 Azienda Sanitaria Locale in the Lombardy region over 3 years (2007–2009. The sample included 3787–4808 patients selected from all citizens aged ≥ 18 years entitled to social security benefits, having a prescription for a corticosteroid + β2-agonist combination, and an ATC code corresponding to R03AK, divided into three groups, ie, pressurized (spray drugs, inhaled powders, and extrafine formulations. Patients with chronic obstructive lung disease were excluded. Indicators of appropriateness were 1–3 packs per year (underdosed, inappropriate, 4–12 packs per year (presumably appropriate, and ≥13 packs per year (overtreatment, inappropriate.Results: The corticosteroid + β2-agonist combination per treated asthmatic patient increased from 37% in 2007 to 45% in 2009 for the total of prescribed antiasthma drugs, and 28%–32% of patients used the drugs in an appropriate manner (4–12 packs per years. The cost of inappropriately used packs increased combination drug expenditure by about 40%, leading to inefficient use of health care

Cost-Effectiveness of Pazopanib Versus Sunitinib for Renal Cancer in the United States.

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Benedict, Agnes; Ramaswamy, Krishnan; Sandin, Rickard

2015-09-01

We write to comment on a recently published study by Delea et al. in the January 2015 issue of JMCP that evaluated the cost-effectiveness (CE) of sunitinib (SU) versus pazopanib (PAZ) as first-line treatment for metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) from a U.S. third-party payer perspective.1 This analysis was based on COMPARZ and PISCES, clinical trials that compared SU and PAZ2,3 and led the authors to conclude that PAZ is cost-effective (in fact, dominant, according to the base-case results) compared with SU. Such assessment of economic value is clearly important for deciding between therapies to ensure fair access; therefore, we welcome a comparative evaluation of SU and PAZ. However, we believe that some of the key assumptions and inputs used in the model by Delea et al. render their results and conclusions invalid.  Best practice requires that results from a health economic model should reflect the most likely outcomes based on sound methodology and robust evidence for its inputs, as recommended by the International Society of Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR).4 Here, we focus on 2 key areas (utilities and survival modeling) where, in our view, the analysis by Delea et al. falls short of this standard, and a third area (treatment costs) where the basis for the data derived is unclear.

Cost-effectiveness of drug-eluting stents versus bare-metal stents in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention.

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Baschet, Louise; Bourguignon, Sandrine; Marque, Sébastien; Durand-Zaleski, Isabelle; Teiger, Emmanuel; Wilquin, Fanny; Levesque, Karine

2016-01-01

To determine the cost-effectiveness of drug-eluting stents (DES) compared with bare-metal stents (BMS) in patients requiring a percutaneous coronary intervention in France, using a recent meta-analysis including second-generation DES. A cost-effectiveness analysis was performed in the French National Health Insurance setting. Effectiveness settings were taken from a meta-analysis of 117 762 patient-years with 76 randomised trials. The main effectiveness criterion was major cardiac event-free survival. Effectiveness and costs were modelled over a 5-year horizon using a three-state Markov model. Incremental cost-effectiveness ratios and a cost-effectiveness acceptability curve were calculated for a range of thresholds for willingness to pay per year without major cardiac event gain. Deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were performed. Base case results demonstrated that DES are dominant over BMS, with an increase in event-free survival and a cost-reduction of €184, primarily due to a diminution of second revascularisations, and an absence of myocardial infarction and stent thrombosis. These results are robust for uncertainty on one-way deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analyses. Using a cost-effectiveness threshold of €7000 per major cardiac event-free year gained, DES has a >95% probability of being cost-effective versus BMS. Following DES price decrease, new-generation DES development and taking into account recent meta-analyses results, the DES can now be considered cost-effective regardless of selective indication in France, according to European recommendations.

Predicting drug?drug interactions through drug structural similarities and interaction networks incorporating pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics knowledge

OpenAIRE

Takeda, Takako; Hao, Ming; Cheng, Tiejun; Bryant, Stephen H.; Wang, Yanli

2017-01-01

Drug?drug interactions (DDIs) may lead to adverse effects and potentially result in drug withdrawal from the market. Predicting DDIs during drug development would help reduce development costs and time by rigorous evaluation of drug candidates. The primary mechanisms of DDIs are based on pharmacokinetics (PK) and pharmacodynamics (PD). This study examines the effects of 2D structural similarities of drugs on DDI prediction through interaction networks including both PD and PK knowledge. Our a...

Regulatory and Economic Considerations of Retinal Drugs.

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Shah, Ankoor R; Williams, George A

2016-01-01

The advent of anti-VEGF therapy for neovascular age-related macular degeneration and macular edema secondary to retinal vein occlusion and diabetes mellitus has prevented blindness in tens of thousands of people. However, the costs of these drugs are without precedent in ophthalmic drug therapeutics. An analysis of the financial implications of retinal drugs and the impact of the Food and Drug Administration on treatment of retinal disease must include not only an evaluation of the direct costs of the drugs and the costs associated with their administration, but also the cost savings which accrue from their clinical benefit. This chapter will discuss the financial and regulatory issues associated with retinal drugs. © 2016 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Economic Consequences and Potentially Preventable Costs Related to Osteoporosis in the Netherlands.

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Dunnewind, Tom; Dvortsin, Evgeni P; Smeets, Hugo M; Konijn, Rob M; Bos, Jens H J; de Boer, Pieter T; van den Bergh, Joop P; Postma, Maarten J

2017-06-01

Osteoporosis often does not involve symptoms, and so the actual number of patients with osteoporosis is higher than the number of diagnosed individuals. This underdiagnosis results in a treatment gap. To estimate the total health care resource use and costs related to osteoporosis in the Netherlands, explicitly including fractures, and to estimate the proportion of fracture costs that are linked to the treatment gap and might therefore be potentially preventable; to also formulate, on the basis of these findings, strategies to optimize osteoporosis care and treatment and reduce its related costs. In this retrospective study, data of the Achmea Health Database representing 4.2 million Dutch inhabitants were used to investigate the economic consequence of osteoporosis in the Netherlands in 2010. Specific cohorts were created to identify osteoporosis-related fractures and their costs. Besides, costs of pharmaceutical treatment regarding osteoporosis were included. Using data from the literature, the treatment gap was estimated. Sensitivity analysis was performed on the base-case results. A total of 108,013 individuals with a history of fractures were included in this study. In this population, 59,193 patients were using anti-osteoporotic medication and 86,776 patients were using preventive supplements. A total number of 3,039 osteoporosis-related fractures occurred. The estimated total costs were €465 million. On the basis of data presented in the literature, the treatment gap in our study population was estimated to vary from 60% to 72%. The estimated total costs corrected for treatment gap were €1.15 to €1.64 billion. These results indicate room for improvement in the health care policy against osteoporosis. Copyright © 2017 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Mapping and Analyzing Stakeholders in China's Essential Drug System by Using a Circular Model: Who We Should Deal with Next?

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Shao, Hui; Li, Shixue; Xu, Lingzhong; Yang, Shuang; Thomas, Nicholas J; Mir, Mohammed Umer; Guo, Zhen; Ning, Bo; Shi, Lizheng

2015-05-01

To predict the prospects of the essential drug system by using the Stakeholder Impact Index (SII) and evaluate the current performance of each main stakeholder and suggested dangerous stakeholders and dormant stakeholders. A Delphi method was used, involving 36 experts with experience in implementation and evaluation of the essential drug policy, to construct the circular model as well as evaluate the performance of each stakeholder. The central government was a dominant stakeholder of the whole essential drug system. The provincial governments were definitive stakeholders, whereas local governments and medical institutions were dependent stakeholders. Furthermore, media and drug stores were dormant stakeholders and pharmaceutical manufacturers and delivery enterprises were dangerous stakeholders. Patients, community residents, and medical insurance programs were discretionary stakeholders. The SII for the essential drug system was positive (SII proj ⁎ = 2.72). The overall anticipation of the essential drug policy is optimistic. Letting definitive stakeholders (provincial governments) having more autonomy can efficiently accelerate the pace of implementation of the essential drug policy in the current situation. Central government, however, also needs to construct an experience exchange platform with the aim of building versatile methods for running the essential drug system in all provinces. Pharmaceutical manufacturers and delivery enterprises were dangerous stakeholders for the essential drug policy. Because of their potential threat to the implementation of the policy, the central government should motivate them to support the construction of the essential drug system spontaneously. In that case, provincial governments need to construct a fair, balanced, and self-stabilized bidding platform. Copyright © 2015 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Potential Impact of a Free Online HIV Treatment Response Prediction System for Reducing Virological Failures and Drug Costs after Antiretroviral Therapy Failure in a Resource-Limited Setting

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Andrew D. Revell

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Objective. Antiretroviral drug selection in resource-limited settings is often dictated by strict protocols as part of a public health strategy. The objective of this retrospective study was to examine if the HIV-TRePS online treatment prediction tool could help reduce treatment failure and drug costs in such settings. Methods. The HIV-TRePS computational models were used to predict the probability of response to therapy for 206 cases of treatment change following failure in India. The models were used to identify alternative locally available 3-drug regimens, which were predicted to be effective. The costs of these regimens were compared to those actually used in the clinic. Results. The models predicted the responses to treatment of the cases with an accuracy of 0.64. The models identified alternative drug regimens that were predicted to result in improved virological response and lower costs than those used in the clinic in 85% of the cases. The average annual cost saving was $364 USD per year (41%. Conclusions. Computational models that do not require a genotype can predict and potentially avoid treatment failure and may reduce therapy costs. The use of such a system to guide therapeutic decision-making could confer health economic benefits in resource-limited settings.

Costs and cost-effectiveness of delivering intermittent preventive treatment through schools in western Kenya

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Jukes Matthew CH

2008-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Awareness of the potential impact of malaria among school-age children has stimulated investigation into malaria interventions that can be delivered through schools. However, little evidence is available on the costs and cost-effectiveness of intervention options. This paper evaluates the costs and cost-effectiveness of intermittent preventive treatment (IPT as delivered by teachers in schools in western Kenya. Methods Information on actual drug and non-drug associated costs were collected from expenditure and salary records, government budgets and interviews with key district and national officials. Effectiveness data were derived from a cluster-randomised-controlled trial of IPT where a single dose of sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine and three daily doses of amodiaquine were provided three times in year (once termly. Both financial and economic costs were estimated from a provider perspective, and effectiveness was estimated in terms of anaemia cases averted. A sensitivity analysis was conducted to assess the impact of key assumptions on estimated cost-effectiveness. Results The delivery of IPT by teachers was estimated to cost US$ 1.88 per child treated per year, with drug and teacher training costs constituting the largest cost components. Set-up costs accounted for 13.2% of overall costs (equivalent to US$ 0.25 per child whilst recurrent costs accounted for 86.8% (US$ 1.63 per child per year. The estimated cost per anaemia case averted was US$ 29.84 and the cost per case of Plasmodium falciparum parasitaemia averted was US$ 5.36, respectively. The cost per case of anaemia averted ranged between US$ 24.60 and 40.32 when the prices of antimalarial drugs and delivery costs were varied. Cost-effectiveness was most influenced by effectiveness of IPT and the background prevalence of anaemia. In settings where 30% and 50% of schoolchildren were anaemic, cost-effectiveness ratios were US$ 12.53 and 7.52, respectively. Conclusion This

Availability and cost of major and first-line antiepileptic drugs: a comprehensive evaluation in the capital of Madagascar.

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Jost, Jeremy; Raharivelo, Adeline; Ratsimbazafy, Voa; Nizard, Mandy; Auditeau, Emilie; Newton, Charles R; Preux, Pierre-Marie

2016-01-01

The prevalence of epilepsy is high in Madagascar (23.5/1000), as is the treatment gap (estimated at 92 %). The health system of the country is underfunded; some AEDs are used, and the national drug policy does not encourage price regulation or the administration of generic agents. We conducted a cross-sectional study to assess the availability and cost of solid oral AED formulations in Antananarivo, capital of Madagascar. Data were gathered from all officially registered pharmacies (according to the drug agency list, updated in 2015) by means of telephone interviews lasting no more than 10 min and conducted by a native Malagasy speaker. With regard to other sources (hospitals, illicit sales) data were obtained at specific visits. The study received ethical approval from the Madagascar Ministry of Health. A total of 91 of 100 pharmacies (the nine not included were because of an inoperative phone number), two of three public hospitals, and two illegal outlets were investigated. Sodium valproate was available in 84.6 % of the pharmacies, while carbamazepine and phenobarbital were available in 68.1 % and 36.3 % of the pharmacies, respectively, but phenytoin was not available in any supply chain. There were more originator brands than generic formulations, with a higher cost (range 20.3-81.1 %, median 40.7 %) compared to the equivalent generic. The public system had only a very limited choice of AED, but offered the lowest costs. Illicit sources were more expensive by 54.3 % for carbamazepine and 62.5 % for phenobarbital. Concerning the annual cost of treatment, the average percentage of the gross national income per capita based on the purchasing power parity was 29.8 %/19.0 % (brand/generic) for sodium valproate, 16.4 %/7.3 % (brand/generic) for carbamazepine, 8.9 %/5.1 % (brand/generic) for phenobarbital. The main sources of AEDs were private pharmacies, but the stocks held were low. The financial burden was still important in the capital of Madagascar

Drug usage patterns and treatment costs in newly-diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus cases, 2007 vs 2012: findings from a large US healthcare claims database analysis.

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Weng, W; Liang, Y; Kimball, E S; Hobbs, T; Kong, S; Sakurada, B; Bouchard, J

2016-07-01

Objective To explore trends in demographics, comorbidities, anti-diabetic drug usage, and healthcare utilization costs in patients with newly-diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) using a large US claims database. Methods For the years 2007 and 2012, Truven Health Marketscan Research Databases were used to identify adults with newly-diagnosed T2DM and continuous 12-month enrollment with prescription benefits. Variables examined included patient demographics, comorbidities, inpatient utilization patterns, healthcare costs (inpatient and outpatient), drug costs, and diabetes drug claim patterns. Results Despite an increase in the overall database population between 2007-2012, the incidence of newly-diagnosed T2DM decreased from 1.1% (2007) to 0.65% (2012). Hyperlipidemia and hypertension were the most common comorbidities and increased in prevalence from 2007 to 2012. In 2007, 48.3% of newly-diagnosed T2DM patients had no claims for diabetes medications, compared with 36.2% of patients in 2012. The use of a single oral anti-diabetic drug (OAD) was the most common diabetes medication-related claim (46.2% of patients in 2007; 56.7% of patients in 2012). Among OAD monotherapy users, metformin was the most commonly used and increased from 2007 (74.7% of OAD monotherapy users) to 2012 (90.8%). Decreases were observed for sulfonylureas (14.1% to 6.2%) and thiazolidinediones (7.3% to 0.6%). Insulin, predominantly basal insulin, was used by 3.9% of patients in 2007 and 5.3% of patients in 2012. Mean total annual healthcare costs increased from $13,744 in 2007 to $15,175 in 2012, driven largely by outpatient services, although costs in all individual categories of healthcare services (inpatient and outpatient) increased. Conversely, total drug costs per patient were lower in 2012 compared with 2007. Conclusions Despite a drop in the rate of newly-diagnosed T2DM from 2007 to 2012 in the US, increased total medical costs and comorbidities per individual patient suggest that

Research Costs Investigated: A Study Into the Budgets of Dutch Publicly Funded Drug-Related Research.

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van Asselt, Thea; Ramaekers, Bram; Corro Ramos, Isaac; Joore, Manuela; Al, Maiwenn; Lesman-Leegte, Ivonne; Postma, Maarten; Vemer, Pepijn; Feenstra, Talitha

2018-01-01

The costs of performing research are an important input in value of information (VOI) analyses but are difficult to assess. The aim of this study was to investigate the costs of research, serving two purposes: (1) estimating research costs for use in VOI analyses; and (2) developing a costing tool to support reviewers of grant proposals in assessing whether the proposed budget is realistic. For granted study proposals from the Netherlands Organization for Health Research and Development (ZonMw), type of study, potential cost drivers, proposed budget, and general characteristics were extracted. Regression analysis was conducted in an attempt to generate a 'predicted budget' for certain combinations of cost drivers, for implementation in the costing tool. Of 133 drug-related research grant proposals, 74 were included for complete data extraction. Because an association between cost drivers and budgets was not confirmed, we could not generate a predicted budget based on regression analysis, but only historic reference budgets given certain study characteristics. The costing tool was designed accordingly, i.e. with given selection criteria the tool returns the range of budgets in comparable studies. This range can be used in VOI analysis to estimate whether the expected net benefit of sampling will be positive to decide upon the net value of future research. The absence of association between study characteristics and budgets may indicate inconsistencies in the budgeting or granting process. Nonetheless, the tool generates useful information on historical budgets, and the option to formally relate VOI to budgets. To our knowledge, this is the first attempt at creating such a tool, which can be complemented with new studies being granted, enlarging the underlying database and keeping estimates up to date.

Perceived Risks Contra Benefits of Using Biosimilar Drugs in Ulcerative Colitis: Discrete Choice Experiment among Gastroenterologists.

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Baji, Petra; Gulácsi, László; Golovics, Petra A; Lovász, Barbara D; Péntek, Márta; Brodszky, Valentin; Rencz, Fanni; Lakatos, Péter L

2016-09-01

In middle-income countries, access to biological therapy is limited in ulcerative colitis in terms of the number of patients and the length of therapy. Because of their cost advantages, biosimilars have the potential to improve access to therapy, but physicians have concerns toward their use because of the lack of evidence from randomized clinical trials. To explore the preferences of gastroenterologists for biosimilar drugs in ulcerative colitis as well as to compare our results with results of previous studies on gastroenterologists' preferences toward biosimilars. A discrete choice experiment was carried out involving 51 Hungarian gastroenterologists treating patients with inflammatory bowel disease in May 2014 with the following attributes: type of treatment (biosimilar/originator), severity of disease, availability of continuous medicine supply, and the stopping rule (whether the treatment is covered after 12 months). A conditional logit model was used to estimate the probabilities of choosing a given profile. According to the results, the stopping rule was the most important attribute. The type of treatment mattered only for patients already on biologicals. The probabilities of choosing the biosimilar option with all the benefits offered in the discrete choice experiment over the originator option under the present reimbursement conditions are 85% for new patients and 63% for patients already treated. Most gastroenterologists have concerns about using biosimilars. They, however, are willing to consider the use of biosimilars if they could reallocate the potential savings to provide their patients better access to biological treatment. Copyright © 2016 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Cost-effectiveness analysis evaluating fidaxomicin versus oral vancomycin for the treatment of Clostridium difficile infection in the United States.

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Stranges, Paul M; Hutton, David W; Collins, Curtis D

2013-01-01

Fidaxomicin is a novel treatment for Clostridium difficile infections (CDIs). This new treatment, however, is associated with a higher acquisition cost compared with alternatives. The objective of this study was to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of fidaxomicin or oral vancomycin for the treatment of CDIs. We performed a cost-utility analysis comparing fidaxomicin with oral vancomycin for the treatment of CDIs in the United States by creating a decision analytic model from the third-party payer perspective. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio with fidaxomicin compared with oral vancomycin was $67,576/quality-adjusted life-year. A probabilistic Monte Carlo sensitivity analysis showed that fidaxomicin had an 80.2% chance of being cost-effective at a willingness-to-pay threshold of $100,000/quality-adjusted life-year. Fidaxomicin remained cost-effective under all fluctuations of both fidaxomicin and oral vancomycin costs. The decision analytic model was sensitive to variations in clinical cure and recurrence rates. Secondary analyses revealed that fidaxomicin was cost-effective in patients receiving concominant antimicrobials, in patients with mild to moderate CDIs, and when compared with oral metronidazole in patients with mild to moderate disease. Fidaxomicin was dominated by oral vancomycin if CDI was caused by the NAP1/Bl/027 Clostridium difficile strain and was dominant in institutions that did not compound oral vancomycin. Results of our model showed that fidaxomicin may be a more cost-effective option for the treatment of CDIs when compared with oral vancomycin under most scenarios tested. Copyright © 2013 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Costs of care for dementia patients in community setting: an analysis for mild and moderate disease stage.

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Schwarzkopf, Larissa; Menn, Petra; Kunz, Simone; Holle, Rolf; Lauterberg, Jörg; Marx, Peter; Mehlig, Hilmar; Wunder, Sonja; Leidl, Reiner; Donath, Carolin; Graessel, Elmar

2011-01-01

Rising life expectancy is associated with higher prevalence rates of dementia disorders. When disease progresses the patients' call on formal health care services and on social support grows which imposes increasing costs of care. The aim of this study was to investigate the costs for patients with mild and moderate dementia in community setting in Germany. We assessed total costs of care and individual cost components for 383 community-living dementia patients alongside a cluster-randomized trial from societal and health insurance perspective. Utilization of formal health care services was based on insurance claims data and time dedicated to informal care was assessed within caregiver interviews. We estimated costs using a two-part regression model adjusting for age, gender and cluster-effects. Costs of care equal €47,747 (Euros) from societal perspective which is almost the 4.7-fold of health insurance expenditures. Valued informal care covers 80.2% of societal costs and increases disproportionally when disease progresses. In moderate dementia the corresponding amount exceeds the one in mild dementia by 69.9%, whereas costs for formal health care services differ by 14.3%. Due to valued informal care, costs of care for community-living patients with moderate dementia are significantly higher than for patients with mild dementia. Informal care is a non-cash item saving expenditures for professional care. To relieve social security system and family caregivers as well as to allow dementia patients to stay at home as long as possible, concepts fostering community-based dementia care and support to family caregivers need to be further developed. Copyright © 2011 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Medicamentos de alto costo: análisis y propuestas para los países del Mercosur Costly drugs: analysis and proposals for the Mercosur countries

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Gustavo H Marín

2011-08-01

Full Text Available OBJETIVO: Determinar la forma en que los países del Mercosur acceden, regulan y financian los medicamentos de alto costo (MAC y proponer estrategias de selección y financiación conjunta a nivel sub-regional. MÉTODOS: Diseño cualitativo, utilizando análisis de contenido de fuentes primarias y secundarias, revisiones documentales, entrevistas, grupos focales y análisis de casos Las variables seleccionadas incluyeron: criterios de selección, acceso, financiación y regulación en los distintos países. Los MAC se clasificaron en aquellos que no modifican el curso natural de la enfermedad y aquellos que tiene eficacia demostrada, utilizando la dosis diaria definida para comparar los costos entre tratamientos clásicos y los realizados con MAC. RESULTADOS: Los países del Mercosur carecen en su gran mayoría de estrategias formales para enfrentar las demandas de MAC, y gobiernos y aseguradoras terminan por financiarlos por vía judicial. Los análisis de casos muestran que existen MAC sin eficacia comprobada que igualmente generan demanda. Las compras atomizadas, los compromisos internacionales respecto a propiedad intelectual y el bajo poder de negociación incrementan los precios de MAC exponencialmente, poniendo en riesgo la economía de los sistemas sanitarios. CONCLUSIONES: Los MAC deben ser regulados y seleccionados racionalmente permitiendo que solo aquellos que beneficien sustantivamente a la población sean aceptados. Para financiar los MAC así seleccionados se requieren estrategias comunes entre países que incluyan opciones tales como flexibilidades de acuerdos comerciales, creación de fondos nacionales de recursos o compra conjunta entre países para potenciar su poder de negociación.OBJECTIVE: Determine how the Mercosur countries access, regulate, and finance costly drugs and propose joint selection and financing strategies at the subregional level. METHODS: Qualitative design, using content analyses of primary and secondary

Clinical Outcome Assessments: Conceptual Foundation-Report of the ISPOR Clinical Outcomes Assessment - Emerging Good Practices for Outcomes Research Task Force.

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Walton, Marc K; Powers, John H; Hobart, Jeremy; Patrick, Donald; Marquis, Patrick; Vamvakas, Spiros; Isaac, Maria; Molsen, Elizabeth; Cano, Stefan; Burke, Laurie B

2015-09-01

An outcome assessment, the patient assessment used in an endpoint, is the measuring instrument that provides a rating or score (categorical or continuous) that is intended to represent some aspect of the patient's health status. Outcome assessments are used to define efficacy endpoints when developing a therapy for a disease or condition. Most efficacy endpoints are based on specified clinical assessments of patients. When clinical assessments are used as clinical trial outcomes, they are called clinical outcome assessments (COAs). COAs include any assessment that may be influenced by human choices, judgment, or motivation. COAs must be well-defined and possess adequate measurement properties to demonstrate (directly or indirectly) the benefits of a treatment. In contrast, a biomarker assessment is one that is subject to little, if any, patient motivational or rater judgmental influence. This is the first of two reports by the ISPOR Clinical Outcomes Assessment - Emerging Good Practices for Outcomes Research Task Force. This report provides foundational definitions important for an understanding of COA measurement principles. The foundation provided in this report includes what it means to demonstrate a beneficial effect, how assessments of patients relate to the objective of showing a treatment's benefit, and how these assessments are used in clinical trial endpoints. In addition, this report describes intrinsic attributes of patient assessments and clinical trial factors that can affect the properties of the measurements. These factors should be considered when developing or refining assessments. These considerations will aid investigators designing trials in their choice of using an existing assessment or developing a new outcome assessment. Although the focus of this report is on the development of a new COA to define endpoints in a clinical trial, these principles may be applied more generally. A critical element in appraising or developing a COA is to

Cost-Effectiveness of Rotavirus Vaccination in France-Accounting for Indirect Protection.

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Yamin, Dan; Atkins, Katherine E; Remy, Vanessa; Galvani, Alison P

Vaccination against rotavirus has shown great potential for reducing the primary cause of severe childhood gastroenteritis. Previous economic evaluations of rotavirus vaccination in France have not modeled the potential impact of vaccines on disease burden via reduced transmission. To determine the cost-effectiveness of the introduction of pentavalent rotavirus vaccination into the French infant vaccination schedule. We developed an age-structured model of rotavirus transmission calibrated to 6 years of French gastroenteritis incidence and vaccine clinical trial data. We evaluated the cost-effectiveness of pentavalent rotavirus vaccination considering that 75% of infants would receive the three-dose vaccine course. Our model predicts that rotavirus vaccination will decrease rotavirus gastroenteritis incidence and associated clinical outcomes in vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals, delay the seasonal peak of infection, and increase the age of infection. From the societal perspective, our base-case scenario predicts that vaccination coverage would be cost-effective at €115 or €135 per vaccine course at €28,500 and €39,500/quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) gained, respectively, and suggests that almost 95% of the financial benefits will be recouped within the first 5 years following vaccination implementation. From the third-party payer perspective, incremental cost-effectiveness ratios ranged from €12,500 to €20,000/QALY, respectively. Our uncertainty analysis suggests that findings were sensitive to various assumptions including the number of hospitalizations, outpatient visits, and the extent of QALY losses per rotavirus episode. Introducing pentavalent rotavirus vaccination into the French infant vaccination schedule would significantly reduce the burden of rotavirus disease in children, and could be cost-effective under plausible conditions. Copyright © 2016 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by

The Value of Specialty Oncology Drugs

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Goldman, Dana P; Jena, Anupam B; Lakdawalla, Darius N; Malin, Jennifer L; Malkin, Jesse D; Sun, Eric

2010-01-01

Objective To estimate patients' elasticity of demand, willingness to pay, and consumer surplus for five high-cost specialty medications treating metastatic disease or hematologic malignancies. Data Source/Study Setting Claims data from 71 private health plans from 1997 to 2005. Study Design This is a revealed preference analysis of the demand for specialty drugs among cancer patients. We exploit differences in plan generosity to examine how utilization of specialty oncology drugs varies with patient out-of-pocket costs. Data Collection/Extraction Methods We extracted key variables from administrative health insurance claims records. Principal Findings A 25 percent reduction in out-of-pocket costs leads to a 5 percent increase in the probability that a patient initiates specialty cancer drug therapy. Among patients who initiate, a 25 percent reduction in out-of-pocket costs reduces the number of treatments (claims) by 1–3 percent, depending on the drug. On average, the value of these drugs to patients who use them is about four times the total cost paid by the patient and his or her insurer, although this ratio may be lower for oral specialty therapies. Conclusions The decision to initiate therapy with specialty oncology drugs is responsive to price, but not highly so. Among patients who initiate therapy, the amount of treatment is equally responsive. The drugs we examine are highly valued by patients in excess of their total costs, although oral agents warrant further scrutiny as copayments increase. PMID:19878344

The socioeconomic impact of drug-related crimes in Chile.

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Fernández, Matías

2012-11-01

Illegal drug use and trafficking are closely connected to crime. This article estimates the socioeconomic impact of this connection in Chile. Goldstein's tripartite model was applied quantifying drug-crime connections and then using those estimates to measure the socioeconomic impact of drug-related crimes. This was estimated in terms of both the monetary cost of law enforcement, and lost productivity due to incarceration. This socioeconomic impact can be divided into: (a) the direct costs arising from infractions to Chile's Drug Law, and the indirect costs originated by crimes linked only partially to drug consumption and trafficking; (b) is measured in productivity losses, as well as in costs to the three branches of Chile's criminal justice system (police, judiciary, and prisons); and (c) is attributed to the three illicit drugs most prevalent in Chile: cannabis, cocaine hydrochloride (CH) and cocaine base paste (CBP). The socioeconomic impact of Chile's drug-crime relationship in 2006 is estimated to be USD 268 million. Out of this amount, 36% is spent on national Drug Law enforcement, and the remaining 64% comes from the connection of drug use and trafficking with non-Drug-Law-related crimes. The police bear the largest share of drug enforcement costs (32%), followed by penitentiaries (25%). Productivity losses due to incarceration for drug-related crimes represent 29% of the total impact. 53% of the costs are attributable to CBP, 29% to CH, and the remaining 18% to cannabis. The impact of CBP is greater when indirect costs are taken into account, although direct costs are primarily associated with CH. The majority of costs is attributed to the trafficking and consumption of CBP, a drug with a relatively low prevalence. Based on the results, this study suggests reviewing drug enforcement policies to differentiate them according to the social and individual harm caused by each drug. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Cost-benefit and cost-savings analyses of antiarrhythmic medication monitoring.

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Snider, Melissa; Carnes, Cynthia; Grover, Janel; Davis, Rich; Kalbfleisch, Steven

2012-09-15

The economic impact of pharmacist-managed antiarrhythmic drug therapy monitoring on an academic medical center's electrophysiology (EP) program was investigated. Data were collected for the initial two years of patient visits (n = 816) to a pharmacist-run clinic for antiarrhythmic drug therapy monitoring. A retrospective cost analysis was conducted to assess the direct costs associated with three appointment models: (1) a clinic office visit only, (2) a clinic visit involving electrocardiography and basic laboratory tests, and (3) a clinic visit including pulmonary function testing and chest x-rays in addition to electrocardiography and laboratory testing. A subset of patient cases (n = 18) were included in a crossover analysis comparing pharmacist clinic care and usual care in an EP physician clinic. The primary endpoints were the cost benefits and cost savings associated with pharmacy-clinic care versus usual care. A secondary endpoint was improvement of overall EP program efficiency. The payer mix was 61.6% (n = 498) Medicare, 33.2% (n = 268) managed care, and 5.2% (n = 42) other. Positive contribution margins were demonstrated for all appointment models. The pharmacist-managed clinic also yielded cost savings by reducing overall patient care charges by 21% relative to usual care. By the second year, the pharmacy clinic improved EP program efficiency by scheduling an average of 24 patients per week, in effect freeing up one day per week of EP physician time to spend on other clinical activities. Pharmacist monitoring of antiarrhythmic drug therapy in an out-patient clinic provided cost benefits, cost savings, and improved overall EP program efficiency.

Cost of human immunodeficiency virus infection in Italy, 2007–2009: effective and expensive, are the new drugs worthwhile?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rizzardini G

2012-09-01

Full Text Available Giuliano Rizzardini,1 Umberto Restelli,2 Paolo Bonfanti,3 Emanuele Porazzi,2 Elena Ricci,1 Emanuela Foglia,2 Laura Carenzi,1 Davide Croce21First Infectious Diseases Department, "Luigi Sacco" Hospital, Milan; 2Centre for Research on Health Economics, Social, and Health Care Management, Università Carlo Cattaneo, Castellanza; 3Infectious Diseases Department, "Alessandro Manzoni" Hospital, Lecco, ItalyBackground: In recent years, the increased efficacy and effectiveness of antiretroviral treatment has led to longer survival of patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV, but has also raised the question of what happens to consumption of resources. Early highly active antiretroviral treatment (HAART, management of hepatitis C virus (HCV coinfection, and expensive newly marketed drugs may affect the economic sustainability of treatment from the point of view of the National Healthcare Services. The present study aimed to provide information on the economic burden of HIV-positive patients resident in the Lombardy region using a three-year time horizon.Methods: This was a retrospective, observational, budget impact study, based on information collected for the period 2007–2009, including hospitalizations, outpatient services, and HAART and non-HAART drug utilization. Patients with confirmed HIV infection, aged ≥ 18 years, resident in the Lombardy region, and followed at the "L Sacco" Hospital in Milan from 2007 to 2009 were eligible.Results: A total of 483 patients (mean age 44.1 years were included in the study. The mean CD4+ cell count increased over the study period from 462 ± 242 cells/mm3 in 2007, to 513 ± 267 cells/mm3 in 2008, to 547 ± 262 cells/mm3 in 2009. In total, 162 subjects (33.5% were coinfected with HCV. Hospitalizations and HAART costs increased from 2007 to 2009, whereas outpatient visits and non-HAART drug costs decreased slightly over time. The total cost increase was also significant when limiting the analysis

The Long-Term Effectiveness and Cost Effectiveness of Organized versus Opportunistic Screening for Breast Cancer in Austria.

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Schiller-Fruehwirth, Irmgard; Jahn, Beate; Einzinger, Patrick; Zauner, Günther; Urach, Christoph; Siebert, Uwe

2017-09-01

In 2014, Austrian health authorities implemented an organized breast cancer screening program. Until then, there has been a long-standing tradition of opportunistic screening. To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of organized screening compared with opportunistic screening, as well as to identify factors influencing the clinical and economic outcomes. We developed and validated an individual-level state-transition model and assessed the health outcomes and costs of organized and opportunistic screening for 40-year-old asymptomatic women. The base-case analysis compared a scenario involving organized biennial screening with a scenario reflecting opportunistic screening practice for an average-risk woman aged 45 to 69 years. We applied an annual discount rate of 3% and estimated the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio in terms of the cost (2012 euros) per life-year gained (LYG) from a health care perspective. Deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were performed to assess uncertainty. Compared with opportunistic screening, an organized program yielded on average additional 0.0118 undiscounted life-years (i.e., 4.3 days) and cost savings of €41 per woman. In the base-case analysis, the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of organized screening was approximately €20,000 per LYG compared with no screening. Assuming a willingness-to-pay threshold of €50,000 per LYG, there was a 70% probability that organized screening would be considered cost-effective. The attendance rate, but not the test accuracy of mammography, was an influential factor for the cost-effectiveness. The decision to adopt organized screening is likely an efficient use of limited health care resources in Austria. Copyright © 2017 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Evaluating and Valuing Drugs for Rare Conditions: No Easy Answers.

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Ollendorf, Daniel A; Chapman, Richard H; Pearson, Steven D

2018-05-01

We find ourselves in an era of unprecedented growth in the development and use of so-called "orphan" drugs to treat rare diseases, which are poised to represent more than one-fifth of pharmaceutical expenditures by 2022. This widespread use has been facilitated by legislative and regulatory incentives in both the United States and abroad, yet US payers and health systems have not yet made a concerted effort to understand whether and how rare diseases require special considerations on their part and how to adapt traditional methods of health technology assessment and economic evaluation to accommodate these situations. In this article, we explore the general ethical dilemmas that rare diseases present, steps taken by health technology assessment bodies worldwide to define the level of rarity that would necessitate special measures and the modifications to their assessment and valuation processes needed, and the contextual components for rare-disease evaluation that lie outside of the assessment framework as a guide to US decision makers on constructing a formal and relevant process stateside. Copyright © 2018 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Basal Insulin Regimens for Adults with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus: A Cost-Utility Analysis.

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Dawoud, Dalia; Fenu, Elisabetta; Higgins, Bernard; Wonderling, David; Amiel, Stephanie A

2017-12-01

To assess the cost-effectiveness of basal insulin regimens for adults with type 1 diabetes mellitus in England. A cost-utility analysis was conducted in accordance with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence reference case. The UK National Health Service and personal and social services perspective was used and a 3.5% discount rate was applied for both costs and outcomes. Relative effectiveness estimates were based on a systematic review of published trials and a Bayesian network meta-analysis. The IMS CORE Diabetes Model was used, in which net monetary benefit (NMB) was calculated using a threshold of £20,000 per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) gained. A wide range of sensitivity analyses were conducted. Insulin detemir (twice daily) [iDet (bid)] had the highest mean QALY gain (11.09 QALYs) and NMB (£181,456) per patient over the model time horizon. Compared with the lowest cost strategy (insulin neutral protamine Hagedorn once daily), it had an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of £7844/QALY gained. Insulin glargine (od) [iGlarg (od)] and iDet (od) were ranked as second and third, with NMBs of £180,893 and £180,423, respectively. iDet (bid) remained the most cost-effective treatment in all the sensitivity analyses performed except when high doses were assumed (>30% increment compared with other regimens), where iGlarg (od) ranked first. iDet (bid) is the most cost-effective regimen, providing the highest QALY gain and NMB. iGlarg (od) and iDet (od) are possible options for those for whom the iDet (bid) regimen is not acceptable or does not achieve required glycemic control. Copyright © 2017 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Drug tendering: drug supply and shortage implications for the uptake of biosimilars

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Dranitsaris G

2017-09-01

Full Text Available George Dranitsaris,1 Ira Jacobs,2 Carol Kirchhoff,3 Robert Popovian,4 Lesley G Shane5 1Augmentium Pharma Consulting Inc., Toronto, ON, Canada; 2Global Medical Affairs, Pfizer Inc, New York, NY, 3Global Technology Services, Biotechnology and Aseptic Sciences Group, Pfizer Inc, Chesterfield, MO, 4US Government Relations, Pfizer Inc, Washington, DC, 5Outcomes and Evidence, Global Health and Value, Pfizer Inc, New York, NY, USA Abstract: Due to the continued increase in global spending on health care, payers have introduced a number of programs, policies, and agreements on pharmaceutical pricing in order to control costs. While incentives to increase generic drug use have achieved significant savings, other cost-containment measures are required. Tendering is a formal procedure to purchase medications using competitive bidding for a particular contract. Although useful for cost containment, tendering can lead to decreased competition in a given market. Consequently, drug shortages can occur, resulting in changes to treatment plans to products that may have lower efficacy and/or an increased risk of adverse effects. Therefore, care must be taken to ensure that tendering does not negatively impact patient care or the health care system. A large and expanding portion of total pharmaceutical expenditure is for biologic therapies. These agents have revolutionized the treatment of many diseases, including cancer and inflammatory conditions; however, patient access to biologic drugs can be limited due to availability, insurance coverage, and cost. As branded biologic therapies reach the end of patent- and data-protection periods, biosimilars are being approved as lower-cost alternatives. Biosimilars are products that are highly similar to the originator product with no clinically meaningful differences in terms of safety, purity, or potency. As more biosimilars receive regulatory approval and adoption increases, these therapies are expected to have an

Cost-effectiveness of using a molecular diagnostic test to improve preoperative diagnosis of thyroid cancer.

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Najafzadeh, Mehdi; Marra, Carlo A; Lynd, Larry D; Wiseman, Sam M

2012-12-01

Fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) is a safe and inexpensive diagnostic procedure for evaluating thyroid nodules.Up to 25% of the results from an FNAB, however, may not be diagnostic or may be indeterminate, leading to a subsequent diagnostic thyroid surgery. A new molecularly based diagnostic test could potentially reduce indeterminate cytological results and, with high accuracy, provide a definitive diagnosis for cancer in thyroid nodules. The aim of the study was to estimate the cost-effectiveness of utilizing a molecular diagnostic (DX) test as an adjunct to FNAB, compared with NoDX, to improve the preoperative diagnosis of thyroid nodules. We constructed a patient-level simulation model to estimate the clinical and economic outcomes of using a DX test compared with current practice (NoDX) for the diagnosis of thyroid nodules. By using a cost-effectiveness framework, we measured incremental clinical benefits in terms of quality-adjusted life-years and incremental costs over a 10-year time horizon. Assuming 95% sensitivity and specificity of the Dx test when used as an adjunct to FNAB, the utilization of the DX test resulted in a gain of 0.046 quality-adjusted life-years (95% confidence interval 0.019-0.078) and a saving of $1087 (95% confidence interval $691-$1533) in direct costs per patient. If the cost of the Dx test is less than $1087 per test, we expect to save quality-adjusted life-years and reduce costs when it is utilized. Sensitivity of the DX test, compared with specificity, had a larger influence on the overall outcomes. Copyright © 2012 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Reforming private drug coverage in Canada: inefficient drug benefit design and the barriers to change in unionized settings.

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O'Brady, Sean; Gagnon, Marc-André; Cassels, Alan

2015-02-01

Prescription drugs are the highest single cost component for employees' benefits packages in Canada. While industry literature considers cost-containment for prescription drug costs to be a priority for insurers and employers, the implementation of cost-containment measures for private drug plans in Canada remains more of a myth than a reality. Through 18 semi-structured phone interviews conducted with experts from private sector companies, unions, insurers and plan advisors, this study explores the reasons behind this incapacity to implement cost-containment measures by examining how private sector employers negotiate drug benefit design in unionized settings. Respondents were asked questions on how employee benefits are negotiated; the relationships between the players who influence drug benefit design; the role of these players' strategies in influencing plan design; the broad system that underpins drug benefit design; and the potential for a universal pharmacare program in Canada. The study shows that there is consensus about the need to educate employees and employers, more collaboration and data-sharing between these two sets of players, and for external intervention from government to help transform established norms in terms of private drug plan design. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Constrained Optimization Methods in Health Services Research-An Introduction: Report 1 of the ISPOR Optimization Methods Emerging Good Practices Task Force.

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Crown, William; Buyukkaramikli, Nasuh; Thokala, Praveen; Morton, Alec; Sir, Mustafa Y; Marshall, Deborah A; Tosh, Jon; Padula, William V; Ijzerman, Maarten J; Wong, Peter K; Pasupathy, Kalyan S

2017-03-01

Providing health services with the greatest possible value to patients and society given the constraints imposed by patient characteristics, health care system characteristics, budgets, and so forth relies heavily on the design of structures and processes. Such problems are complex and require a rigorous and systematic approach to identify the best solution. Constrained optimization is a set of methods designed to identify efficiently and systematically the best solution (the optimal solution) to a problem characterized by a number of potential solutions in the presence of identified constraints. This report identifies 1) key concepts and the main steps in building an optimization model; 2) the types of problems for which optimal solutions can be determined in real-world health applications; and 3) the appropriate optimization methods for these problems. We first present a simple graphical model based on the treatment of "regular" and "severe" patients, which maximizes the overall health benefit subject to time and budget constraints. We then relate it back to how optimization is relevant in health services research for addressing present day challenges. We also explain how these mathematical optimization methods relate to simulation methods, to standard health economic analysis techniques, and to the emergent fields of analytics and machine learning. Copyright © 2017 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Brand-name drug, generic drug, orphan drug. Pharmacological therapy with biosimilar drugs - provision of due diligence in the treatment process.

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Zajdel, Justyna; Zajdel, Radosław

2013-01-01

Due diligence in the process of provision of healthcare services refers, among other elements, to the application of pharmacological therapy at a time which offers the greatest chance for a successful outcome of treatment, i.e. for achieving the optimum expected effect understood as an improvement in the patient's health, reduction of health risks or elimination of the disease. However, due diligence may also refer to actions aimed at ensuring that neither the patient nor the healthcare payer is required to incur unreasonable costs in the process of treatment. The validity of that statement stems not only from normative acts but also from ethical standards laid down in the Medical Code of Ethics (Article 57 section 2). It often happens that the provision of optimal treatment calls for deviations from the formal provisions included in Summary Product Characteristics (SPCs), and the application of drugs that are bioequivalent to reference drugs, which translates into a significant reduction of costs. The present study addresses the problem of acceptability of a specific form of drug substitution consisting in the replacement of a reference drug with a generic drug. Also explored are legal aspects associated with the possibility of therapy based on "off-label use". The study reviews normative acts existing in the Polish and EU legislation. It also provides a clear definition of orphan drug, which has made it possible to make a distinction and investigate mutual relations between the concepts of brand-name (reference) drug, orphan drug and generic drug.

Cost-effectiveness analysis of antithyroid drug therapy, 131I therapy and subtotal thyroidectomy for Graves' disease

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yano, Fuzuki; Watanabe, Sadahiro; Hayashi, Katsumi; Kita, Tamotsu; Yamamoto, Masayoshi; Kosuda, Shigeru; Tanaka, Yuji

2007-01-01

The objective of this study was to assess the cost-effectiveness of antithyroid drug (ATD) therapy vs. radioiodine therapy (RIT) vs. subtotal thyroidectomy (STT) by calculating expected lifelong cost and utility based on Graves' disease patients' responses to questionnaires using a decision-tree sensitivity analysis and relevant variables. The decision-tree sensitivity analysis to determine expected lifelong cost and utility in Graves' disease patients was designed on the basis of the 4 competing strategies consisting of: (1) ATD therapy plus RIT strategy, (2) ATD therapy plus STT strategy, (3) low-fixed-dose (185 MBq) RIT alone strategy, and (4) high-fixed-dose (370 MBq) RIT alone strategy. One-way sensitivity analysis was designed in the ATD therapy plus RIT strategy, for replacement with RIT in place of ATD, ranging from a 1% incidence of ATD side effects to 30%. The low-fixed-dose RIT alone strategy was least costly, and the high-fixed-dose RIT alone strategy most costly. The lifelong utility of high-fixed-dose RIT alone strategy with a 5% rate of discounting was highest (lifelong utility for 30 years: 15.2/patient), and the utility of the ATD plus RIT strategy with 1% side effects of the ATD was lowest (14.1/patient). The cost-effectiveness ratio was lowest (yen 5 008/utility) in a low-fixed-dose RIT alone strategy. In conclusion, a low-fixed-dose RIT alone strategy is preferred treatments in view of cost-effectiveness ratio, and RIT should be used more widely in Japan. (author)

Economic implications of resistance to antimalarial drugs.

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Phillips, M; Phillips-Howard, P A

1996-09-01

The widespread evolution of drug resistance in malarial parasites has seriously hampered efforts to control this debilitating disease. Chloroquine, the mainstay of malaria treatment for many decades, is now proving largely ineffective in many parts of the world, particularly against the most severe form of malaria--falciparum. Alternative drugs have been developed, but they are frequently less safe and are all between 50 and 700% more expensive than chloroquine. Choice of drug clearly has important budgetary implications and national malaria control programmes need to weigh up the costs and benefits in deciding whether to change to more effective but more expensive drugs. The growth in drug resistance also has implications for the choice of diagnostic tool. Clinical diagnosis of malaria is relatively cheap, but less specific than some technological approaches. As more expensive drugs are employed, the cost of wasted treatment on suspected cases who do not in fact have malaria rises and the more worthwhile it becomes to invest in more specific diagnostic techniques. This paper presents an economic framework for analysing the various malaria drug and diagnostic tool options available. It discusses the nature of the key factors that need to be considered when making choices of malaria treatment (including treatment costs, drug resistance, the costs of treatment failure and compliance) and diagnosis (including diagnosis cost and accuracy, and the often overlooked costs associated with delayed treatment), and uses some simple equations to illustrate the impact of these on the relative cost effectiveness of the alternatives being considered. On the basis of some simplifying assumptions and illustrative calculations, it appears that in many countries more effective drugs and more specific and rapid diagnostic approaches will be worth adopting even although they imply additional expense.

The use of generic drugs in prevention of chronic disease is far more cost-effective than thought, and may save money.

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Shrank, William H; Choudhry, Niteesh K; Liberman, Joshua N; Brennan, Troyen A

2011-07-01

In this article we highlight the important role that medication therapy can play in preventing disease and controlling costs. Focusing on coronary artery disease, we demonstrate that prevention, with the appropriate use of generic medications, appears far more cost-effective than previously documented, and it may even save on costs. For example, an earlier study estimated that reducing blood pressure to widely established clinical guidelines in nondiabetic patients cost an estimated $52,983 per quality-adjusted life-year if a brand-name drug was used. However, we estimate that the cost is just $7,753 per quality-adjusted life-year at generic medication prices. As the nation attempts to find strategies to improve population health without adding to the unsustainably high cost of care, policy makers should focus on ensuring that patients have access to essential generic medications.

[Cost-effectiveness of addiction care].

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Suijkerbuijk, A W M; van Gils, P F; Greeven, P G J; de Wit, G A

2015-01-01

A large number of interventions are available for the treatment of addiction. Professionals need to know about the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of interventions so they can prioritise appropriate interventions for the treatment of addiction. To provide an overview of the scientific literature on the cost-effectiveness of addiction treatment for alcohol- and drug-abusers. We searched the databases Medline and Centre for Reviews and Dissemination. To be relevant for our study, articles had to focus on interventions in the health-care setting, have a Western context and have a health-related outcome measure such as quality adjusted life years (QALY). Twenty-nine studies met our inclusion criteria: 15 for alcohol and 14 for drugs. The studies on alcohol addiction related mainly to brief interventions. They proved to be cost-saving or had a favourable incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER), remaining below the threshold of € 20,000 per QALY. The studies on drug addiction all involved pharmacotherapeutic interventions. In the case of 10 out of 14 interventions, the ICER was less than € 20,000 per QALY. Almost all of the interventions studied were cost-saving or cost-effective. Many studies consider only health-care costs. Additional research, for instance using a social cost-benefit analysis, could provide more details about the costs of addiction and about the impact that an intervention could have in these/the costs.

Cost-Effectiveness of a Model Infection Control Program for Preventing Multi-Drug-Resistant Organism Infections in Critically Ill Surgical Patients.

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Jayaraman, Sudha P; Jiang, Yushan; Resch, Stephen; Askari, Reza; Klompas, Michael

2016-10-01

Interventions to contain two multi-drug-resistant Acinetobacter (MDRA) outbreaks reduced the incidence of multi-drug-resistant (MDR) organisms, specifically methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus, and Clostridium difficile in the general surgery intensive care unit (ICU) of our hospital. We therefore conducted a cost-effective analysis of a proactive model infection-control program to reduce transmission of MDR organisms based on the practices used to control the MDRA outbreak. We created a model of a proactive infection control program based on the 2011 MDRA outbreak response. We built a decision analysis model and performed univariable and probabilistic sensitivity analyses to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of the proposed program compared with standard infection control practices to reduce transmission of these MDR organisms. The cost of a proactive infection control program would be $68,509 per year. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) was calculated to be $3,804 per aversion of transmission of MDR organisms in a one-year period compared with standard infection control. On the basis of probabilistic sensitivity analysis, a willingness-to-pay (WTP) threshold of $14,000 per transmission averted would have a 42% probability of being cost-effective, rising to 100% at $22,000 per transmission averted. This analysis gives an estimated ICER for implementing a proactive program to prevent transmission of MDR organisms in the general surgery ICU. To better understand the causal relations between the critical steps in the program and the rate reductions, a randomized study of a package of interventions to prevent healthcare-associated infections should be considered.

Cost-effectiveness of public-health policy options in the presence of pretreatment NNRTI drug resistance in sub-Saharan Africa: a modelling study.

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Phillips, Andrew N; Cambiano, Valentina; Nakagawa, Fumiyo; Revill, Paul; Jordan, Michael R; Hallett, Timothy B; Doherty, Meg; De Luca, Andrea; Lundgren, Jens D; Mhangara, Mutsa; Apollo, Tsitsi; Mellors, John; Nichols, Brooke; Parikh, Urvi; Pillay, Deenan; Rinke de Wit, Tobias; Sigaloff, Kim; Havlir, Diane; Kuritzkes, Daniel R; Pozniak, Anton; van de Vijver, David; Vitoria, Marco; Wainberg, Mark A; Raizes, Elliot; Bertagnolio, Silvia

2018-03-01

There is concern over increasing prevalence of non-nucleoside reverse-transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI) resistance in people initiating antiretroviral therapy (ART) in low-income and middle-income countries. We assessed the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of alternative public health responses in countries in sub-Saharan Africa where the prevalence of pretreatment drug resistance to NNRTIs is high. The HIV Synthesis Model is an individual-based simulation model of sexual HIV transmission, progression, and the effect of ART in adults, which is based on extensive published data sources and considers specific drugs and resistance mutations. We used this model to generate multiple setting scenarios mimicking those in sub-Saharan Africa and considered the prevalence of pretreatment NNRTI drug resistance in 2017. We then compared effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of alternative policy options. We took a 20 year time horizon, used a cost effectiveness threshold of US$500 per DALY averted, and discounted DALYs and costs at 3% per year. A transition to use of a dolutegravir as a first-line regimen in all new ART initiators is the option predicted to produce the most health benefits, resulting in a reduction of about 1 death per year per 100 people on ART over the next 20 years in a situation in which more than 10% of ART initiators have NNRTI resistance. The negative effect on population health of postponing the transition to dolutegravir increases substantially with higher prevalence of HIV drug resistance to NNRTI in ART initiators. Because of the reduced risk of resistance acquisition with dolutegravir-based regimens and reduced use of expensive second-line boosted protease inhibitor regimens, this policy option is also predicted to lead to a reduction of overall programme cost. A future transition from first-line regimens containing efavirenz to regimens containing dolutegravir formulations in adult ART initiators is predicted to be effective and cost-effective in

A cost-effective smartphone-based antimicrobial susceptibility test reader for drug resistance testing (Conference Presentation)

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Feng, Steve W.; Tseng, Derek; Di Carlo, Dino; Garner, Omai B.; Ozcan, Aydogan

2017-03-01

Antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) is commonly used for determining microbial drug resistance, but routine testing, which can significantly reduce the spread of multi-drug resistant organisms, is not regularly performed in resource-limited and field-settings due to technological challenges and lack of trained diagnosticians. We developed a portable cost-effective smartphone-based colorimetric 96-well microtiter plate (MTP) reader capable of automated AST without the need for a trained diagnostician. This system is composed of a smartphone used in conjunction with a 3D-printed opto-mechanical attachment, which holds a set of inexpensive light-emitting-diodes and fiber-optic cables coupled to the 96-well MTP for enabling the capture of the transmitted light through each well by the smartphone camera. Images of the MTP plate are captured at multiple exposures and uploaded to a local or remote server (e.g., a laptop) for automated processing/analysis of the results using a custom-designed smartphone application. Each set of images are combined to generate a high dynamic-range image and analyzed for well turbidity (indicative of bacterial growth), followed by interpretative analysis per plate to determine minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and drug susceptibility for the specific bacterium. Results are returned to the originating device within 1 minute and shown to the user in tabular form. We demonstrated the capability of this platform using MTPs prepared with 17 antibiotic drugs targeting Gram-negative bacteria and tested 82 patient isolate MTPs of Klebsiella pneumoniae, achieving well turbidity accuracy of 98.19%, MIC accuracy of 95.15%, and drug susceptibility interpretation accuracy of 99.06%, meeting the FDA defined criteria for AST.

Cost Effectiveness of Monoclonal Antibody Therapy for Rare Diseases: A Systematic Review.

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Park, Taehwan; Griggs, Scott K; Suh, Dong-Churl

2015-08-01

Monoclonal antibody (mAb)-based orphan drugs have led to advances in the treatment of diseases by selectively targeting molecule functions. However, their high treatment costs impose a substantial cost burden on patients and society. The study aimed to systematically review cost-effectiveness evidence of mAb orphan drugs. Ovid MEDLINE(®), EMBASE(®), and PsycINFO(®) were searched in June 2014 and articles were selected if they conducted economic evaluations of the mAb orphan drugs that had received marketing approval in the USA. The quality of the selected studies was assessed using the Quality of Health Economic Studies (QHES) instrument. We reviewed 16 articles that included 24 economic evaluations of nine mAb orphan drugs. Six of these nine drugs were included in cost-utility analysis studies, whereas three drugs were included in cost-effectiveness analysis studies. Previous cost-utility analysis studies revealed that four mAb orphan drugs (cetuximab, ipilimumab, rituximab, and trastuzumab) were found to be cost effective; one drug (bevacizumab) was not cost effective; and one drug (infliximab) was not consistent across the studies. Prior cost-effectiveness analysis studies which included three mAb orphan drugs (adalimumab, alemtuzumab, and basiliximab) showed that the incremental cost per effectiveness gained for these drugs ranged from $US4669 to $Can52,536 Canadian dollars. The quality of the included studies was good or fair with the exception of one study. Some mAb orphan drugs were reported as cost effective under the current decision-making processes. Use of these expensive drugs, however, can raise an equity issue which concerns fairness in access to treatment. The issue of equal access to drugs needs to be considered alongside other societal values in making the final health policy decisions.

42 CFR 423.782 - Cost-sharing subsidy.

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2010-10-01

... 42 Public Health 3 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Cost-sharing subsidy. 423.782 Section 423.782... (CONTINUED) MEDICARE PROGRAM VOLUNTARY MEDICARE PRESCRIPTION DRUG BENEFIT Premiums and Cost-Sharing Subsidies... cents. (c) When the out-of-pocket cost for a covered Part D drug under a Part D sponsor's plan benefit...

Cost-Utility Analysis of Extending Public Health Insurance Coverage to Include Diabetic Retinopathy Screening by Optometrists.

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van Katwyk, Sasha; Jin, Ya-Ping; Trope, Graham E; Buys, Yvonne; Masucci, Lisa; Wedge, Richard; Flanagan, John; Brent, Michael H; El-Defrawy, Sherif; Tu, Hong Anh; Thavorn, Kednapa

2017-09-01

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is one of the leading causes of vision loss and blindness in Canada. Eye examinations play an important role in early detection. However, DR screening by optometrists is not always universally covered by public or private health insurance plans. This study assessed whether expanding public health coverage to include diabetic eye examinations for retinopathy by optometrists is cost-effective from the perspective of the health care system. We conducted a cost-utility analysis of extended coverage for diabetic eye examinations in Prince Edward Island to include examinations by optometrists, not currently publicly covered. We used a Markov chain to simulate disease burden based on eye examination rates and DR progression over a 30-year time horizon. Results were presented as an incremental cost per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) gained. A series of one-way and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were performed. Extending public health coverage to eye examinations by optometrists was associated with higher costs ($9,908,543.32) and improved QALYs (156,862.44), over 30 years, resulting in an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of $1668.43/QALY gained. Sensitivity analysis showed that the most influential determinants of the results were the cost of optometric screening and selected utility scores. At the commonly used threshold of $50,000/QALY, the probability that the new policy was cost-effective was 99.99%. Extending public health coverage to eye examinations by optometrists is cost-effective based on a commonly used threshold of $50,000/QALY. Findings from this study can inform the decision to expand public-insured optometric services for patients with diabetes. Copyright © 2017 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Brand-name drug, generic drug, orphan drug. Pharmacological therapy with biosimilar drugs – provision of due diligence in the treatment process

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Zajdel, Justyna

2013-01-01

Due diligence in the process of provision of healthcare services refers, among other elements, to the application of pharmacological therapy at a time which offers the greatest chance for a successful outcome of treatment, i.e. for achieving the optimum expected effect understood as an improvement in the patient's health, reduction of health risks or elimination of the disease. However, due diligence may also refer to actions aimed at ensuring that neither the patient nor the healthcare payer is required to incur unreasonable costs in the process of treatment. The validity of that statement stems not only from normative acts but also from ethical standards laid down in the Medical Code of Ethics (Article 57 section 2). It often happens that the provision of optimal treatment calls for deviations from the formal provisions included in Summary Product Characteristics (SPCs), and the application of drugs that are bioequivalent to reference drugs, which translates into a significant reduction of costs. The present study addresses the problem of acceptability of a specific form of drug substitution consisting in the replacement of a reference drug with a generic drug. Also explored are legal aspects associated with the possibility of therapy based on “off-label use”. The study reviews normative acts existing in the Polish and EU legislation. It also provides a clear definition of orphan drug, which has made it possible to make a distinction and investigate mutual relations between the concepts of brand-name (reference) drug, orphan drug and generic drug. PMID:24592133

Linezolid Versus Vancomycin in the Empiric Treatment of Nosocomial Pneumonia: A Cost-Utility Analysis Incorporating Results from the ZEPHyR Trial.

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Collins, Curtis D; Schwemm, Ann K

2015-07-01

To examine the cost-effectiveness of vancomycin versus linezolid in the empiric treatment of nosocomial pneumonias incorporating results from a recent prospective, double-blind, multicenter, controlled trial in adults with suspected methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) nosocomial pneumonia. A decision-analytic model examining the cost-effectiveness of linezolid versus vancomycin for the empiric treatment of nosocomial pneumonia was created. Publicly available cost, efficacy, and utility data populated relevant model variables. A probabilistic sensitivity analysis varied parameters in 10,000 Monte-Carlo simulations, and univariate sensitivity analyses assessed the impact of model uncertainties and the robustness of our conclusions. Results indicated that the cost per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) increased 6% ($22,594 vs. $23,860) by using linezolid versus vancomycin for nosocomial pneumonia. The incremental cost per QALY gained by using linezolid over vancomycin was $6,089, and the incremental cost per life saved was $68,615 with the use of linezolid. Vancomycin dominated linezolid in the subset of patients with documented MRSA. The incremental cost per QALY gained using linezolid if no mortality benefit exists between agents or a 60-day time horizon was analyzed was $19,608,688 and $443,662, respectively. Linezolid may be a cost-effective alternative to vancomycin in the empiric treatment of patients with suspected MRSA nosocomial pneumonia; however, results of our model were highly variable on a number of important variables and assumptions including mortality differences and time frame analyzed. Copyright © 2015 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Value for Money in H1N1 Influenza: A Systematic Review of the Cost-Effectiveness of Pandemic Interventions.

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Pasquini-Descomps, Hélène; Brender, Nathalie; Maradan, David

2017-06-01

The 2009 A/H1N1 influenza pandemic generated additional data and triggered new studies that opened debate over the optimal strategy for handling a pandemic. The lessons-learned documents from the World Health Organization show the need for a cost estimation of the pandemic response during the risk-assessment phase. Several years after the crisis, what conclusions can we draw from this field of research? The main objective of this article was to provide an analysis of the studies that present cost-effectiveness or cost-benefit analyses for A/H1N1 pandemic interventions since 2009 and to identify which measures seem most cost-effective. We reviewed 18 academic articles that provide cost-effectiveness or cost-benefit analyses for A/H1N1 pandemic interventions since 2009. Our review converts the studies' results into a cost-utility measure (cost per disability-adjusted life-year or quality-adjusted life-year) and presents the contexts of severity and fatality. The existing studies suggest that hospital quarantine, vaccination, and usage of the antiviral stockpile are highly cost-effective, even for mild pandemics. However, school closures, antiviral treatments, and social distancing may not qualify as efficient measures, for a virus like 2009's H1N1 and a willingness-to-pay threshold of $45,000 per disability-adjusted life-year. Such interventions may become cost-effective for severe crises. This study helps to shed light on the cost-utility of various interventions, and may support decision making, among other criteria, for future pandemics. Nonetheless, one should consider these results carefully, considering these may not apply to a specific crisis or country, and a dedicated cost-effectiveness assessment should be conducted at the time. Copyright © 2017 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of a Stratified National Breast Screening Program in the United Kingdom: An Early Model-Based Cost-Effectiveness Analysis.

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Gray, Ewan; Donten, Anna; Karssemeijer, Nico; van Gils, Carla; Evans, D Gareth; Astley, Sue; Payne, Katherine

2017-09-01

To identify the incremental costs and consequences of stratified national breast screening programs (stratified NBSPs) and drivers of relative cost-effectiveness. A decision-analytic model (discrete event simulation) was conceptualized to represent four stratified NBSPs (risk 1, risk 2, masking [supplemental screening for women with higher breast density], and masking and risk 1) compared with the current UK NBSP and no screening. The model assumed a lifetime horizon, the health service perspective to identify costs (£, 2015), and measured consequences in quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs). Multiple data sources were used: systematic reviews of effectiveness and utility, published studies reporting costs, and cohort studies embedded in existing NBSPs. Model parameter uncertainty was assessed using probabilistic sensitivity analysis and one-way sensitivity analysis. The base-case analysis, supported by probabilistic sensitivity analysis, suggested that the risk stratified NBSPs (risk 1 and risk-2) were relatively cost-effective when compared with the current UK NBSP, with incremental cost-effectiveness ratios of £16,689 per QALY and £23,924 per QALY, respectively. Stratified NBSP including masking approaches (supplemental screening for women with higher breast density) was not a cost-effective alternative, with incremental cost-effectiveness ratios of £212,947 per QALY (masking) and £75,254 per QALY (risk 1 and masking). When compared with no screening, all stratified NBSPs could be considered cost-effective. Key drivers of cost-effectiveness were discount rate, natural history model parameters, mammographic sensitivity, and biopsy rates for recalled cases. A key assumption was that the risk model used in the stratification process was perfectly calibrated to the population. This early model-based cost-effectiveness analysis provides indicative evidence for decision makers to understand the key drivers of costs and QALYs for exemplar stratified NBSP. Copyright

Estimated generic prices of cancer medicines deemed cost-ineffective in England: a cost estimation analysis.

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Hill, Andrew; Redd, Christopher; Gotham, Dzintars; Erbacher, Isabelle; Meldrum, Jonathan; Harada, Ryo

2017-01-20

The aim of this study was to estimate lowest possible treatment costs for four novel cancer drugs, hypothesising that generic manufacturing could significantly reduce treatment costs. This research was carried out in a non-clinical research setting using secondary data. There were no human participants in the study. Four drugs were selected for the study: bortezomib, dasatinib, everolimus and gefitinib. These medications were selected according to their clinical importance, novel pharmaceutical actions and the availability of generic price data. Target costs for treatment were to be generated for each indication for each treatment. The primary outcome measure was the target cost according to a production cost calculation algorithm. The secondary outcome measure was the target cost as the lowest available generic price; this was necessary where export data were not available to generate an estimate from our cost calculation algorithm. Other outcomes included patent expiry dates and total eligible treatment populations. Target prices were £411 per cycle for bortezomib, £9 per month for dasatinib, £852 per month for everolimus and £10 per month for gefitinib. Compared with current list prices in England, these target prices would represent reductions of 74-99.6%. Patent expiry dates were bortezomib 2014-22, dasatinib 2020-26, everolimus 2019-25 and gefitinib 2017. The total global eligible treatment population in 1 year is 769 736. Our findings demonstrate that affordable drug treatment costs are possible for novel cancer drugs, suggesting that new therapeutic options can be made available to patients and doctors worldwide. Assessing treatment cost estimations alongside cost-effectiveness evaluations is an important area of future research. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

Cost-Effectiveness of Antibiotic Prophylaxis Strategies for Transrectal Prostate Biopsy in an Era of Increasing Antimicrobial Resistance.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Kyueun; Drekonja, Dimitri M; Enns, Eva A

2018-03-01

To determine the optimal antibiotic prophylaxis strategy for transrectal prostate biopsy (TRPB) as a function of the local antibiotic resistance profile. We developed a decision-analytic model to assess the cost-effectiveness of four antibiotic prophylaxis strategies: ciprofloxacin alone, ceftriaxone alone, ciprofloxacin and ceftriaxone in combination, and directed prophylaxis selection based on susceptibility testing. We used a payer's perspective and estimated the health care costs and quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) associated with each strategy for a cohort of 66-year-old men undergoing TRPB. Costs and benefits were discounted at 3% annually. Base-case resistance prevalence was 29% to ciprofloxacin and 7% to ceftriaxone, reflecting susceptibility patterns observed at the Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Health Care System. Resistance levels were varied in sensitivity analysis. In the base case, single-agent prophylaxis strategies were dominated. Directed prophylaxis strategy was the optimal strategy at a willingness-to-pay threshold of $50,000/QALY gained. Relative to the directed prophylaxis strategy, the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of the combination strategy was $123,333/QALY gained over the lifetime time horizon. In sensitivity analysis, single-agent prophylaxis strategies were preferred only at extreme levels of resistance. Directed or combination prophylaxis strategies were optimal for a wide range of resistance levels. Facilities using single-agent antibiotic prophylaxis strategies before TRPB should re-evaluate their strategies unless extremely low levels of antimicrobial resistance are documented. Copyright © 2018 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Estimating the Cost-Effectiveness of Implementation: Is Sufficient Evidence Available?

Science.gov (United States)

Whyte, Sophie; Dixon, Simon; Faria, Rita; Walker, Simon; Palmer, Stephen; Sculpher, Mark; Radford, Stefanie

2016-01-01

Timely implementation of recommended interventions can provide health benefits to patients and cost savings to the health service provider. Effective approaches to increase the implementation of guidance are needed. Since investment in activities that improve implementation competes for funding against other health generating interventions, it should be assessed in term of its costs and benefits. In 2010, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence released a clinical guideline recommending natriuretic peptide (NP) testing in patients with suspected heart failure. However, its implementation in practice was variable across the National Health Service in England. This study demonstrates the use of multi-period analysis together with diffusion curves to estimate the value of investing in implementation activities to increase uptake of NP testing. Diffusion curves were estimated based on historic data to produce predictions of future utilization. The value of an implementation activity (given its expected costs and effectiveness) was estimated. Both a static population and a multi-period analysis were undertaken. The value of implementation interventions encouraging the utilization of NP testing is shown to decrease over time as natural diffusion occurs. Sensitivity analyses indicated that the value of the implementation activity depends on its efficacy and on the population size. Value of implementation can help inform policy decisions of how to invest in implementation activities even in situations in which data are sparse. Multi-period analysis is essential to accurately quantify the time profile of the value of implementation given the natural diffusion of the intervention and the incidence of the disease. Copyright © 2016 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Do randomized controlled trials discuss healthcare costs?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

G Michael Allan

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Healthcare costs, particularly pharmaceutical costs, are a dominant issue for most healthcare organizations, but it is unclear if randomized controlled trials (RCTs routinely discuss costs. Our objective was to assess the frequency and factors associated with the inclusion of costs in RCTs. METHODS AND FINDINGS: We randomly sampled 188 RCTs spanning three years (2003-2005 from six high impact journals. The sample size for RCTs was based on a calculation to estimate the inclusion of actual drug costs with a precision of +/-3%. Two reviewers independently extracted cost data and study characteristics. Frequencies were calculated and potential characteristics associated with the inclusion of costs were explored. Actual drug costs were included in 4.7% (9/188 of RCTs; any actual costs were included in 7.4% (14/188 of RCTs; and any mention of costs was included in 27.7% (52/188 of RCTs. As the amount of industry funding increased across RCTs, from non-profit to mixed to fully industry funded RCTs, there was a statistically significant reduction in the number of RCTs with any actual costs (Cochran-Armitage test, p = 0.005 and any mention of costs (Cochran-Armitage test, p = 0.02. Logistic regression analysis also indicated funding was associated with the inclusion of any actual cost (OR = 0.34, p = 0.009 or any mention of costs (OR = 0.63, p = 0.02. Journal, study conclusions, study location, primary author's country and product age were not associated with inclusion of cost information. CONCLUSION: While physicians are encouraged to consider costs when prescribing drugs for their patients, actual drug costs were provided in only 5% of RCTs and were not mentioned at all in 72% of RCTs. Industry funded trials were less likely to include cost information. No other factors were associated with the inclusion of cost information.

Do randomized controlled trials discuss healthcare costs?

Science.gov (United States)

Allan, G Michael; Korownyk, Christina; LaSalle, Kate; Vandermeer, Ben; Ma, Victoria; Klein, Douglas; Manca, Donna

2010-08-23

Healthcare costs, particularly pharmaceutical costs, are a dominant issue for most healthcare organizations, but it is unclear if randomized controlled trials (RCTs) routinely discuss costs. Our objective was to assess the frequency and factors associated with the inclusion of costs in RCTs. We randomly sampled 188 RCTs spanning three years (2003-2005) from six high impact journals. The sample size for RCTs was based on a calculation to estimate the inclusion of actual drug costs with a precision of +/-3%. Two reviewers independently extracted cost data and study characteristics. Frequencies were calculated and potential characteristics associated with the inclusion of costs were explored. Actual drug costs were included in 4.7% (9/188) of RCTs; any actual costs were included in 7.4% (14/188) of RCTs; and any mention of costs was included in 27.7% (52/188) of RCTs. As the amount of industry funding increased across RCTs, from non-profit to mixed to fully industry funded RCTs, there was a statistically significant reduction in the number of RCTs with any actual costs (Cochran-Armitage test, p = 0.005) and any mention of costs (Cochran-Armitage test, p = 0.02). Logistic regression analysis also indicated funding was associated with the inclusion of any actual cost (OR = 0.34, p = 0.009) or any mention of costs (OR = 0.63, p = 0.02). Journal, study conclusions, study location, primary author's country and product age were not associated with inclusion of cost information. While physicians are encouraged to consider costs when prescribing drugs for their patients, actual drug costs were provided in only 5% of RCTs and were not mentioned at all in 72% of RCTs. Industry funded trials were less likely to include cost information. No other factors were associated with the inclusion of cost information.

12-Step participation reduces medical use costs among adolescents with a history of alcohol and other drug treatment.

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Mundt, Marlon P; Parthasarathy, Sujaya; Chi, Felicia W; Sterling, Stacy; Campbell, Cynthia I

2012-11-01

Adolescents who attend 12-step groups following alcohol and other drug (AOD) treatment are more likely to remain abstinent and to avoid relapse post-treatment. We examined whether 12-step attendance is also associated with a corresponding reduction in health care use and costs. We used difference-in-difference analysis to compare changes in seven-year follow-up health care use and costs by changes in 12-step participation. Four Kaiser Permanente Northern California AOD treatment programs enrolled 403 adolescents, 13-18-years old, into a longitudinal cohort study upon AOD treatment entry. Participants self-reported 12-step meeting attendance at six-month, one-year, three-year, and five-year follow-up. Outcomes included counts of hospital inpatient days, emergency room (ER) visits, primary care visits, psychiatric visits, AOD treatment costs and total medical care costs. Each additional 12-step meeting attended was associated with an incremental medical cost reduction of 4.7% during seven-year follow-up. The medical cost offset was largely due to reductions in hospital inpatient days, psychiatric visits, and AOD treatment costs. We estimate total medical use cost savings at $145 per year (in 2010 U.S. dollars) per additional 12-step meeting attended. The findings suggest that 12-step participation conveys medical cost offsets for youth who undergo AOD treatment. Reduced costs may be related to improved AOD outcomes due to 12-step participation, improved general health due to changes in social network following 12-step participation, or better compliance to both AOD treatment and 12-step meetings. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evolución del consumo de medicamentos de alto costo en Colombia Evolution of consumption of high-cost drugs in Colombia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jorge Enrique Machado Alba

2012-04-01

Full Text Available OBJETIVO: Determinar el comportamiento del consumo de medicamentos de alto costo (MAC durante 2005-2010 en una población de pacientes colombianos afiliados al Sistema General de Seguridad Social en Salud. MÉTODOS: Estudio descriptivo observacional; se analizaron datos de prescripción de fórmulas dispensadas desde 2005 a 2010 a todos los usuarios (1 ;674 517 de algún medicamento considerado de alto costo en 20 ciudades de Colombia. Se consideró la clasificación anatómica terapéutica y el número de pacientes, así como la facturación mensual por cada medicamento, la dosis diaria definida y el costo por 1 000 habitantes/día. RESULTADOS: En todo el período de estudio, el valor facturado por MAC creció 847,4%. Los antineoplásicos e inmunomoduladores constituyeron 46,3% del total facturado, antinfecciosos 15,2%, preparaciones hormonales sistémicas 9,5% y fármacos para el sistema nervioso 9,1%. La mayoría de estos medicamentos fueron prescritos a las dosis diarias definidas recomendadas por la Organización Mundial de Salud, pero con altos costos por 1 000 habitantes y día. CONCLUSIONES: En Colombia durante los últimos años se ha presentado una crisis debida al elevado gasto generado por los medicamentos más costosos. El crecimiento progresivo del gasto farmacéutico es mayor que el aumento de la cobertura del sistema sanitario del país. El sistema sanitario colombiano debe evaluar cuánto está dispuesto a pagar por los medicamentos más costosos para algunas morbilidades y qué estrategias debe implementar para sufragar estos gastos y así garantizar el acceso a los asegurados.OBJECTIVE: Determine the patterns of consumption of high-cost drugs (HCD during the 2005-2010 period in a population of Colombian patients enrolled in the General System of Social Security in Health. METHODS: An observational descriptive study was conducted. The prescription data of formulas of any drug considered to be high-cost dispensed to all users (1

Cost-Effectiveness and Clinical Practice Guidelines: Have We Reached a Tipping Point?-An Overview.

Science.gov (United States)

Garrison, Louis P

2016-01-01

Given recent developments in the United States, where professional clinical societies have attempted to define "value" and consider it in their deliberations about appropriate care, this thematic article describes those recent specialty society efforts in the United States in cardiology and oncology and the multispecialty efforts in the United Kingdom for over 10 years. Despite our high levels of health spending, and our field's long and consistent approach to the basic tools of cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA), US private and public payers are not routinely or explicitly using CEAs in their reimbursement decisions. This is a puzzle that raises the following question: Why does the United States have so many skilled pharmacoeconomic practitioners and produce so many CEAs given this apparent lack of interest and trust? There are multiple reasons, but the lack of incentives to use the information certainly matters. This article identifies and discusses a number of key issues and challenges for incorporating CEA into US clinical guidelines development: potential bias in manufacturer-sponsored CEAs, the role of societal perspective, payer-subscriber and physician-patient agency relationships, the need for disease area CEA studies and modeling, patient heterogeneity, investigators' conflicts of interest, assessing the quality of economic studies, and aggregation of information using multicriteria decision analysis. These developments suggest that the application of CEA in health care decision making in the United States is evolving and may be approaching a tipping point. With increasing pressures on drug prices, perhaps reflecting challenges to industry sustainability, payers, providers, and patients are looking for value for money. CEA should be an important part of this process. Copyright © 2016 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Reverse Total Shoulder Arthroplasty versus Hemiarthroplasty for the Management of Complex Proximal Humeral Fractures in the Elderly.

Science.gov (United States)

Osterhoff, Georg; O'Hara, Nathan N; D'Cruz, Jennifer; Sprague, Sheila A; Bansback, Nick; Evaniew, Nathan; Slobogean, Gerard P

2017-03-01

There is ongoing debate regarding the optimal surgical treatment of complex proximal humeral fractures in elderly patients. To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (RTSA) compared with hemiarthroplasty (HA) in the management of complex proximal humeral fractures, using a cost-utility analysis. On the basis of data from published literature, a cost-utility analysis was conducted using decision tree and Markov modeling. A single-payer perspective, with a willingness-to-pay (WTP) threshold of Can$50,000 (Canadian dollars), and a lifetime time horizon were used. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) was used as the study's primary outcome measure. In comparison with HA, the incremental cost per quality-adjusted life-year gained for RTSA was Can$13,679. One-way sensitivity analysis revealed the model to be sensitive to the RTSA implant cost and the RTSA procedural cost. The ICER of Can$13,679 is well below the WTP threshold of Can$50,000, and probabilistic sensitivity analysis demonstrated that 92.6% of model simulations favored RTSA. Our economic analysis found that RTSA for the treatment of complex proximal humeral fractures in the elderly is the preferred economic strategy when compared with HA. The ICER of RTSA is well below standard WTP thresholds, and its estimate of cost-effectiveness is similar to other highly successful orthopedic strategies such as total hip arthroplasty for the treatment of hip arthritis. Copyright © 2017 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The impact of cancer drug wastage on economic evaluations.

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Truong, Judy; Cheung, Matthew C; Mai, Helen; Letargo, Jessa; Chambers, Alexandra; Sabharwal, Mona; Trudeau, Maureen E; Chan, Kelvin K W

2017-09-15

The objective of this study was to determine the impact of modeling cancer drug wastage in economic evaluations because wastage can result from single-dose vials on account of body surface area- or weight-based dosing. Intravenous chemotherapy drugs were identified from the pan-Canadian Oncology Drug Review (pCODR) program as of January 2015. Economic evaluations performed by drug manufacturers and pCODR were reviewed. Cost-effectiveness analyses and budget impact analyses were conducted for no-wastage and maximum-wastage scenarios (ie, the entire unused portion of the vial was discarded at each infusion). Sensitivity analyses were performed for a range of body surface areas and weights. Twelve drugs used for 17 indications were analyzed. Wastage was reported (ie, assumptions were explicit) in 71% of the models and was incorporated into 53% by manufacturers; this resulted in a mean incremental cost-effectiveness ratio increase of 6.1% (range, 1.3%-14.6%). pCODR reported and incorporated wastage for 59% of the models, and this resulted in a mean incremental cost-effectiveness ratio increase of 15.0% (range, 2.6%-48.2%). In the maximum-wastage scenario, there was a mean increase in the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of 24.0% (range, 0.0%-97.2%), a mean increase in the 3-year total incremental budget costs of 26.0% (range, 0.0%-83.1%), and an increase in the 3-year total incremental drug budget cost of approximately CaD $102 million nationally. Changing the mean body surface area or body weight caused 45% of the drugs to have a change in the vial size and/or quantity, and this resulted in increased drug costs. Cancer drug wastage can increase drug costs but is not uniformly modeled in economic evaluations. Cancer 2017;123:3583-90. © 2017 American Cancer Society. © 2017 American Cancer Society.

Uso del Registro de Solicitudes de Medicamentos no Incluidos en el Listado de Medicamentos Esenciales como Nueva Fuente de Información en los Sistemas Nacionales de Farmacovigilancia.

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Buendía, Jefferson Antonio; Zuluaga Salazar, Andrés Felipe; Vacca González, Claudia Patricia

2013-12-01

To describe the frequency of adverse drugs events (ADEs) as possible causes of request of drugs not included in national essential Medicines list in Colombia. This was a descriptive study developed in a private medical insurance company in Bogota, Colombia. Data were obtained from drug request form of drugs not included in a national essential Medicines list. We analyzed the content of the notes to identify the records related to the occurrence of ADEs in the period 2008 to 2009. Information concerning the adverse event and the drug involved was recorded in a data collection instrument developed by the researchers. The pharmacological classification of drugs was performed according to the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical Classification System (ATC). We study 3,336 request forms of drugs not included in a national essential Medicines list. The level 1 groups of the ATC of drugs with greater frequency of ADEs were the cardiovascular agents (47%), nervous system agents (24%) and antineoplastic and immunomodulating agents (15%). The great majority was cases of light severity (62.7%) and classified as possible (48.4%). The results of this study support the innovative approach of using request form of drug not included in national essential Medicines list to obtain information regarding ADEs in developing countries; recognizing the importance of looking for new sources of report of adverse reactions to diminish the under-notification of ADEs. © 2013 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) Published by International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) All rights reserved.

21 CFR 316.21 - Verification of orphan-drug status.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... justification for production and marketing costs that the sponsor has incurred in the past and expects to incur... is no reasonable expectation that the sales of the drug will be sufficient to offset the costs of developing the drug for the U.S. market and the costs of making the drug available in the United States. (b...

Optimizing the position and use of omalizumab for severe persistent allergic asthma using cost-effectiveness analysis.

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Faria, Rita; McKenna, Claire; Palmer, Stephen

2014-12-01

There has been some controversy on whether the costs of omalizumab outweigh its benefits for severe persistent allergic asthma. This study aimed to resolve the uncertainties and limitations of previous analyses and establish the cost-effectiveness of omalizumab under the list price and Patient Access Scheme (PAS) discounted price for the UK National Health Service. A decision-analytic model was developed to evaluate the long-term cost-effectiveness of omalizumab under the perspective of the National Health Service. Outcomes were expressed as quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs). Patient subgroups were defined post hoc on the basis of data collected in clinical trials: previous hospitalization, on maintenance oral corticosteroids, and three or more previous exacerbations. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio varied from £30,109 to £57,557 per QALY gained depending on the population considered using the PAS price; incremental cost-effectiveness ratios were over a third higher using the list price. Omalizumab is likely to be cost-effective at the threshold of £30,000 per QALY gained in the severe subgroups if the improvement in health-related quality of life from omalizumab is mapped from an asthma-specific measure to the EuroQol five-dimensional questionnaire (vs. the EuroQol five-dimensional questionnaire directly collected from patients) or asthma mortality refers to death after hospitalization from asthma (vs. asthma-mortality risk in the community). Although the cost-effectiveness of omalizumab is more favorable under the PAS price, it represents good value for money only in severe subgroups and under optimistic assumptions regarding asthma mortality and improvement in health-related quality of life. For these reasons, omalizumab should be carefully targeted to ensure value for money. Copyright © 2014 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Affordability Challenges to Value-Based Pricing: Mass Diseases, Orphan Diseases, and Cures.

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Danzon, Patricia M

2018-03-01

To analyze how value-based pricing (VBP), which grounds the price paid for pharmaceuticals in their value, can manage "affordability" challenges, defined as drugs that meet cost-effectiveness thresholds but are "unaffordable" within the short-run budget. Three specific contexts are examined, drawing on recent experience. First, an effective new treatment for a chronic, progressive disease, such as hepatitis C, creates a budget spike that is transitory because initial prevalence is high, relative to current incidence. Second, "cures" that potentially provide lifetime benefits may claim abnormally high VBP prices, with high immediate budget impact potentially/partially offset by deferred cost savings. Third, although orphan drugs in principle target rare diseases, in aggregate they pose affordability concerns because of the growing number of orphan indications and increasingly high prices. For mass diseases, the transitory budget impact of treating the accumulated patient stock can be managed by stratified rollout that delays treatment of stable patients and prioritizes patients at high risk of deterioration. Delay spreads the budget impact and permits potential savings from launch of competing treatments. For cures, installment payments contingent on outcomes could align payment flows and appropriately shift risk to producers. This approach, however, entails high administrative and incentive costs, especially if applied across multiple payers in the United States. For orphan drugs, the available evidence on research and development trends and returns argues against the need for a higher VBP threshold to incentivize research and development in orphan drugs, given existing statutory benefits under orphan drug legislation. Copyright © 2018 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Hospitalizations for Endocarditis and Associated Health Care Costs Among Persons with Diagnosed Drug Dependence - North Carolina, 2010-2015.

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Fleischauer, Aaron T; Ruhl, Laura; Rhea, Sarah; Barnes, Erin

2017-06-09

Opioid dependence and overdose have increased to epidemic levels in the United States. The 2014 National Survey on Drug Use and Health estimated that 4.3 million persons were nonmedical users of prescription pain relievers (1). These users are 40 times more likely than the general population to use heroin or other injection drugs (2). Furthermore, CDC estimated a near quadrupling of heroin-related overdose deaths during 2002-2014 (3). Although overdose contributes most to drug-associated mortality, infectious complications of intravenous drug use constitute a major cause of morbidity leading to hospitalization (4). In addition to infections from hepatitis C virus (HCV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), injecting drug users are at increased risk for acquiring invasive bacterial infections, including endocarditis (5,6). Evidence that hospitalizations for endocarditis are increasing in association with the current opioid epidemic exists (7-9). To examine trends in hospitalizations for endocarditis among persons in North Carolina with drug dependence during 2010-2015, data from the North Carolina Hospital Discharge database were analyzed. The incidence of hospital discharge diagnoses for drug dependence combined with endocarditis increased more than twelvefold from 0.2 to 2.7 per 100,000 persons per year over this 6-year period. Correspondingly, hospital costs for these patients increased eighteenfold, from $1.1 million in 2010 to $22.2 million in 2015. To reduce the risk for morbidity and mortality related to opioid-associated endocarditis, public health programs and health care systems should consider collaborating to implement syringe service programs, harm reduction strategies, and opioid treatment programs.

The Opportunity Cost of Capital

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ayman Chit PhD

2015-04-01

Full Text Available The opportunity cost of the capital invested in pharmaceutical research and development (R&D to bring a new drug to market makes up as much as half the total cost. However, the literature on the cost of pharmaceutical R&D is mixed on how, exactly, one should calculate this “hidden” cost. Some authors attempt to adopt models from the field of finance, whereas other prominent authors dismiss this practice as biased, arguing that it artificially inflates the R&D cost to justify higher prices for pharmaceuticals. In this article, we examine the arguments made by both sides of the debate and then explain the cost of capital concept and describe in detail how this value is calculated. Given the significant contribution of the cost of capital to the overall cost of new drug R&D, a clear understanding of the concept is critical for policy makers, investors, and those involved directly in the R&D.

The Opportunity Cost of Capital

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Chit, Ayman; Chit, Ahmad; Papadimitropoulos, Manny; Krahn, Murray; Parker, Jayson; Grootendorst, Paul

2015-01-01

The opportunity cost of the capital invested in pharmaceutical research and development (R&D) to bring a new drug to market makes up as much as half the total cost. However, the literature on the cost of pharmaceutical R&D is mixed on how, exactly, one should calculate this “hidden” cost. Some authors attempt to adopt models from the field of finance, whereas other prominent authors dismiss this practice as biased, arguing that it artificially inflates the R&D cost to justify higher prices for pharmaceuticals. In this article, we examine the arguments made by both sides of the debate and then explain the cost of capital concept and describe in detail how this value is calculated. Given the significant contribution of the cost of capital to the overall cost of new drug R&D, a clear understanding of the concept is critical for policy makers, investors, and those involved directly in the R&D. PMID:25933615

Changing physician incentives for cancer care to reward better patient outcomes instead of use of more costly drugs.

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Newcomer, Lee N

2012-04-01

More-sophisticated chemotherapy regimens have improved the outlook for cancer patients since the 1970s, but the payment system for cancer chemotherapy has not changed during that time span. The "buy and bill" approach for reimbursement provides incentives for medical oncologists to use expensive medications when less costly alternatives that deliver similar results are available. Furthermore, the system does nothing to assess how much value society derives from high-price drugs. This paper reviews the historical context of "buy and bill" reimbursement and considers the use of clinical pathways and bundled payments, two alternative strategies that are being tried to reward physicians for improving outcomes and reducing the total cost of cancer care.

Cost effectiveness of screening strategies for early identification of HIV and HCV infection in injection drug users.

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Lauren E Cipriano

Full Text Available To estimate the cost, effectiveness, and cost effectiveness of HIV and HCV screening of injection drug users (IDUs in opioid replacement therapy (ORT.Dynamic compartmental model of HIV and HCV in a population of IDUs and non-IDUs for a representative U.S. urban center with 2.5 million adults (age 15-59.We considered strategies of screening individuals in ORT for HIV, HCV, or both infections by antibody or antibody and viral RNA testing. We evaluated one-time and repeat screening at intervals from annually to once every 3 months. We calculated the number of HIV and HCV infections, quality-adjusted life years (QALYs, costs, and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs.Adding HIV and HCV viral RNA testing to antibody testing averts 14.8-30.3 HIV and 3.7-7.7 HCV infections in a screened population of 26,100 IDUs entering ORT over 20 years, depending on screening frequency. Screening for HIV antibodies every 6 months costs $30,700/QALY gained. Screening for HIV antibodies and viral RNA every 6 months has an ICER of $65,900/QALY gained. Strategies including HCV testing have ICERs exceeding $100,000/QALY gained unless awareness of HCV-infection status results in a substantial reduction in needle-sharing behavior.Although annual screening for antibodies to HIV and HCV is modestly cost effective compared to no screening, more frequent screening for HIV provides additional benefit at less cost. Screening individuals in ORT every 3-6 months for HIV infection using both antibody and viral RNA technologies and initiating ART for acute HIV infection appears cost effective.

Cost and predictors of lost productive time in chronic migraine and episodic migraine: results from the American Migraine Prevalence and Prevention (AMPP) Study.

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Serrano, Daniel; Manack, Aubrey N; Reed, Michael L; Buse, Dawn C; Varon, Sepideh F; Lipton, Richard B

2013-01-01

To quantify the cost differences and predictors of lost productive time (LPT) in persons with chronic migraine (CM) and episodic migraine (EM). The American Migraine Prevalence and Prevention (AMPP) study is a US national longitudinal survey of severe headache. Cost estimates were obtained via U.S. Census income data. To elucidate the unique predictors of LPT, the optimal distribution for modeling was determined. Zero inflation models for LPT were predicted from sociodemographics, headache features, characteristics and disability, medication use, and depression. The interaction between headache status and age was the primary effect of interest. The eligible sample included 6329 persons with EM and 374 persons with CM. Men with CM aged 45 to 54 years cost employers nearly $200 per week more than do their EM counterparts. Likewise, for women, costs were higher for CM, with the cost differential between EM and CM being $90 per week. After comprehensive adjustment, increases in LPT with age were significantly higher in CM than in EM (rate ratio 1.03; 95% confidence interval 1.01-1.05). When age was recoded to a decade, metric rates of LPT increased 25% more per decade for CM than for EM (rate ratio 1.25; 95% confidence interval 1.004-1.5). LPT is more costly and increases more rapidly for those with CM than for those with EM as age increases. Copyright © 2013 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

How state and federal policies as well as advances in genome science contribute to the high cost of cancer drugs.

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Ramsey, Scott D

2015-04-01

During a time when cancer drug prices are increasing at an unprecedented rate, a debate has emerged as to whether these drugs continue to provide good value. In this article I argue that this debate is irrelevant because under today's highly distorted market, prices will not be set with value considerations in mind. As an alternative, I suggest considering the "value" of three policy changes—Medicare's "average sales price plus 6 percent" payment program, laws that require insurance coverage of all new cancer drugs, and the Affordable Care Act—that are fueling manufacturers' willingness to set higher prices. More important than these issues, however, is the revolution that is occurring in molecular biology and its impact on scientists' ability to detect changes in the cancer genome. The lowered cost of discovery is driving more competitors into the market, which under distorted pricing paradoxically encourages drug makers to charge ever higher prices for their products. Project HOPE—The People-to-People Health Foundation, Inc.

Therapeutic drug monitoring of nevirapine in saliva in Uganda using high performance liquid chromatography and a low cost thin-layer chromatography technique

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lamorde, M.; Fillekes, Q.; Sigaloff, K.; Kityo, C.; Buzibye, A.; Kayiwa, J.; Merry, C.; Nakatudde-Katumba, L.; Burger, D.M.; Wit, T.F. de

2014-01-01

BACKGROUND: In resource limited settings access to laboratory monitoring of HIV treatment is limited and therapeutic drug monitoring is generally unavailable. This study aimed to evaluate nevirapine concentrations in saliva using low-cost thin-layer chromatography (TLC) and nevirapine concentrations

Therapeutic drug monitoring of nevirapine in saliva in Uganda using high performance liquid chromatography and a low cost thin-layer chromatography technique

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lamorde, Mohammed; Fillekes, Quirine; Sigaloff, Kim; Kityo, Cissy; Buzibye, Allan; Kayiwa, Joshua; Merry, Concepta; Nakatudde-Katumba, Lillian; Burger, David; Rinke de Wit, Tobias F.

2014-01-01

In resource limited settings access to laboratory monitoring of HIV treatment is limited and therapeutic drug monitoring is generally unavailable. This study aimed to evaluate nevirapine concentrations in saliva using low-cost thin-layer chromatography (TLC) and nevirapine concentrations in plasma

Cancer Care Coordinators to Improve Tamoxifen Persistence in Breast Cancer: How Heterogeneity in Baseline Prognosis Impacts on Cost-Effectiveness.

Science.gov (United States)

Nair, Nisha; Kvizhinadze, Giorgi; Blakely, Tony

2016-12-01

To assess the cost-effectiveness of a cancer care coordinator (CCC) in helping women with estrogen receptor positive (ER+) early breast cancer persist with tamoxifen for 5 years. We investigated the cost-effectiveness of a CCC across eight breast cancer subtypes, defined by progesterone receptor (PR) status, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) status, and local/regional spread. These subtypes range from excellent to poorer prognoses. The CCC helped in improving tamoxifen persistence by providing information, checking-in by phone, and "troubleshooting" concerns. We constructed a Markov macrosimulation model to estimate health gain (in quality-adjusted life-years or QALYs) and health system costs in New Zealand, compared with no CCC. Participants were modeled until death or till the age of 110 years. Some input parameters (e.g., the impact of a CCC on tamoxifen persistence) had sparse evidence. Therefore, we used estimates with generous uncertainty and conducted sensitivity analyses. The cost-effectiveness of a CCC for regional ER+/PR-/HER2+ breast cancer (worst prognosis) was NZ $23,400 (US $15,800) per QALY gained, compared with NZ $368,500 (US $248,800) for local ER+/PR+/HER2- breast cancer (best prognosis). Using a cost-effectiveness threshold of NZ $45,000 (US $30,400) per QALY, a CCC would be cost-effective only in the four subtypes with the worst prognoses. There is value in investigating cost-effectiveness by different subtypes within a disease. In this example of breast cancer, the poorer the prognosis, the greater the health gains from a CCC and the better the cost-effectiveness. Incorporating heterogeneity in a cost-utility analysis is important and can inform resource allocation decisions. It is also feasible to undertake in practice. Copyright © 2016 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Anesthetic drug wastage in the operation room: A cause for concern

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Kapil Chaudhary

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Context: The cost of anesthetic technique has three main components, i.e., disposable supplies, equipments, and anesthetic drugs. Drug budgets are an easily identifiable area for short-term savings. Aim: To assess and estimate the amount of anesthetic drug wastage in the general surgical operation room. Also, to analyze the financial implications to the hospital due to drug wastage and suggest appropriate steps to prevent or minimize this wastage. Settings and Design: A prospective observational study conducted in the general surgical operation room of a tertiary care hospital. Materials and Methods: Drug wastage was considered as the amount of drug left unutilized in the syringes/vials after completion of a case and any ampoule or vial broken while loading. An estimation of the cost of wasted drug was made. Results: Maximal wastage was associated with adrenaline and lignocaine (100% and 93.63%, respectively. The drugs which accounted for maximum wastage due to not being used after loading into a syringe were adrenaline (95.24%, succinylcholine (92.63%, lignocaine (92.51%, mephentermine (83.80%, and atropine (81.82%. The cost of wasted drugs for the study duration was 46.57% (Rs. 16,044.01 of the total cost of drugs issued/loaded (Rs. 34,449.44. Of this, the cost of wastage of propofol was maximum being 56.27% (Rs. 9028.16 of the total wastage cost, followed by rocuronium 17.80% (Rs. 2856, vecuronium 5.23% (Rs. 840, and neostigmine 4.12% (Rs. 661.50. Conclusions: Drug wastage and the ensuing financial loss can be significant during the anesthetic management of surgical cases. Propofol, rocuronium, vecuronium, and neostigmine are the drugs which contribute maximally to the total wastage cost. Judicious use of these and other drugs and appropriate prudent measures as suggested can effectively decrease this cost.

Cost-effectiveness of antiplatelet drugs after percutaneous coronary intervention.

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Wisløff, Torbjørn; Atar, Dan

2016-01-01

Clopidogrel has, for long time, been accepted as the standard treatment for patients who have undergone a percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). The introduction of prasugrel-and more recently, ticagrelor-has introduced a decision-making problem for clinicians and governments worldwide: to use the cheaper clopidogrel or the more effective, and also more expensive prasugrel or ticagrelor. We aim to give helpful contributions to this debate by analysing the cost-effectiveness of clopidogrel, prasugrel, and ticagrelor compared with each other. We modified a previously developed Markov model of cardiac disease progression. In the model, we followed up cohorts of patients who have recently had a PCI until 100 years or death. Possible events are revascularization, bleeding, acute myocardial infarction, and death. Our analysis shows that ticagrelor is cost-effective in 77% of simulations at an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of €7700 compared with clopidogrel. Ticagrelor was also cost-effective against prasugrel at a cost-effectiveness ratio of €7800. Given a Norwegian cost-effectiveness threshold of €70 000, both comparisons appear to be clearly cost-effective in favour of ticagrelor. Ticagrelor is cost-effective compared with both clopidogrel and prasugrel for patients who have undergone a PCI.

Statin cost effectiveness in primary prevention: A systematic review of the recent cost-effectiveness literature in the United States

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Mitchell Aaron P

2012-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The literature on the cost-effectiveness of statin drugs in primary prevention of coronary heart disease is complex. The objective of this study is to compare the disparate results of recent cost-effectiveness analyses of statins. Findings We conducted a systematic review of the literature on statin cost-effectiveness. The four studies that met inclusion criteria reported varying conclusions about the cost-effectiveness of statin treatment, without a clear consensus as to whether statins are cost-effective for primary prevention. However, after accounting for each study’s assumptions about statin costs, we found substantial agreement among the studies. Studies that assumed statins to be more expensive found them to be less cost-effective, and vice-versa. Furthermore, treatment of low-risk groups became cost-effective as statins became less expensive. Conclusions Drug price is the primary determinant of statin cost-effectiveness within a given risk group. As more statin drugs become generic, patients at low risk for coronary disease may be treated cost-effectively. Though many factors must be weighed in any medical decision, from a cost-effectiveness perspective, statins may now be considered an appropriate therapy for many patients at low risk for heart disease.

How much does an antiinflammatory treatment cost?

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S. Adami

2011-06-01

Full Text Available NSAIDs are among the most popular drugs in the world for their efficacy in controlling pain and acute and chronic inflammation. The efficacy of these therapies is hampered by their safety profile, in particular regarding the gastroenteric tract. The NSAIDs’ side effects may heavily influence the health of the single patient and the economy of the health systems. The pharmacoeconomic evaluation of antinflammatory treatment usually considers, in addition to the drug purchase prize, also the shadow costs. This cost is mainly due to the management and prevention of gastropathy. Coxibs, even if more expensive, may become cost-effective for their better gastronteric safety. As a matter of fact, coxib treatment can be considered equivalent to a treatment with NSAID plus PPI. However, the first requirement of these drugs, that should control pain, must be the efficacy and not only safety. In this case the NNT (Number Needed to Treat is a good marker of efficacy. To calculate the real cost we must pay to reach the target (pain resolution in one patient, we can multiply NNT for the prize of a specific drug. The total cost will depend on drug prize (the cheaper, the better and on the efficacy expressed by NNT (the lower, the better. In a recent meta-analysis, the NNT of several antinflammatory drugs has been calculated. When the treatment cost was adjusted for its efficacy (NNT, the difference in favour of NSAIDs became so little to disappear because of the higher safety of coxibs (especially of etoricoxiband the possibility to reach antinflammatory and analgesic doses that are difficult to obtain with NSAIDs. Moreover, if also the cost of gastroprotection is considered, the economic impact of NSAIDs can be much higher. In conclusion the pharmacoeconomic analysis of an antinflammatory therapy cannot be based only on safety issues but also on efficacy evaluation that is the main effect we ask to these drugs.

Drug Treatment Centers in Afghanistan: Creating a Participatory Approach to Tackling the Drug Trade

Science.gov (United States)

2012-12-01

Oxford Economic Papers 61, no. 1 (2009): 12. 16 community referral system for social services would increase the actors involved, introduce new...rationalized the use of prescription drugs as an emotional and physical crutch . Many chose opium, because it is less costly, being unaware that the...208. 41 continue to use legal and illegal drugs as an emotional crutch . In fact, pharmaceutical use is heavily linked to poverty. Health costs

The cost of open heart surgery in Nigeria.

Science.gov (United States)

Falase, Bode; Sanusi, Michael; Majekodunmi, Adetinuwe; Ajose, Ifeoluwa; Idowu, Ariyo; Oke, David

2013-01-01

Open Heart Surgery (OHS) is not commonly practiced in Nigeria and most patients who require OHS are referred abroad. There has recently been a resurgence of interest in establishing OHS services in Nigeria but the cost is unknown. The aim of this study was to determine the direct cost of OHS procedures in Nigeria. The study was performed prospectively from November to December 2011. Three concurrent operations were selected as being representative of the scope of surgery offered at our institution. These procedures were Atrial Septal Defect (ASD) Repair, Off Pump Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (OPCAB) and Mitral Valve Replacement (MVR). Cost categories contributing to direct costs of OHS (Investigations, Drugs, Perfusion, Theatre, Intensive Care, Honorarium and Hospital Stay) were tracked to determine the total direct cost for the 3 selected OHS procedures. ASD repair cost $ 6,230 (Drugs $600, Intensive Care $410, Investigations $955, Perfusion $1080, Theatre $1360, Honorarium $925, Hospital Stay $900). OPCAB cost $8,430 (Drugs $740, Intensive Care $625, Investigations $3,020, Perfusion $915, Theatre $1305, Honorarium $925, Hospital Stay $900). MVR with a bioprosthetic valve cost $11,200 (Drugs $1200, Intensive Care $500, Investigations $3040, Perfusion $1100, Theatre $3,535, Honorarium $925, Hospital Stay $900). The direct cost of OHS in Nigeria currently ranges between $6,230 and $11,200. These costs compare favorably with the cost of OHS abroad and can serve as a financial incentive to patients, sponsors and stakeholders to have OHS procedures done in Nigeria.

New Zealand’s Drug Development Industry

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Christopher Carswell

2013-09-01

Full Text Available The pharmaceutical industry’s profitability depends on identifying and successfully developing new drug candidates while trying to contain the increasing costs of drug development. It is actively searching for new sources of innovative compounds and for mechanisms to reduce the enormous costs of developing new drug candidates. There is an opportunity for academia to further develop as a source of drug discovery. The rising levels of industry outsourcing also provide prospects for organisations that can reduce the costs of drug development. We explored the potential returns to New Zealand (NZ from its drug discovery expertise by assuming a drug development candidate is out-licensed without clinical data and has anticipated peak global sales of $350 million. We also estimated the revenue from NZ’s clinical research industry based on a standard per participant payment to study sites and the number of industry-sponsored clinical trials approved each year. Our analyses found that NZ’s clinical research industry has generated increasing foreign revenue and appropriate policy support could ensure that this continues to grow. In addition the probability-based revenue from the out-licensing of a drug development candidate could be important for NZ if provided with appropriate policy and financial support.

Consumer cost sharing and use of biopharmaceuticals for rheumatoid arthritis.

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Robinson, James C

2013-06-01

To evaluate the effect of consumer cost sharing on use of physician-administered and patient self-administered specialty drugs for rheumatoid arthritis. Multivariate statistical analysis of probability and use of physician-administered specialty drugs, patient self-injected specialty drugs, non-biologic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs, and symptom relief drugs. Analyses were conducted for patients enrolling in preferred provider organization (PPO) plans and health maintenance organization (HMO) plans with different cost-sharing requirements, adjusted for patient demographics, health status, and geographical location. Professional, facility, and pharmaceutical claims for beneficiaries of CalPERS, the public employee insurance purchasing alliance in California, for 2008-2009. Consumer cost-sharing requirements were obtained for each type of drug and service for each type of insurance plan. PPO insurance enrollees face substantially higher cost sharing for physician-administered specialty drugs, compared with HMO enrollees in CalPERS. PPO patients with rheumatoid arthritis are only half as likely as HMO enrollees to choose a physician-administered specialty drug (4.2% vs 9.3%) (P ≤.05), and use 25% less of the drugs if they use any ($10,356 vs $13,678) (P ≤.05). They are 30% more likely to use a self-administered specialty drug than are HMO enrollees (29.3% vs 22.1%) (P ≤.05), and use 35% more of the drugs if any ($16,015 vs $12,378) (P ≤.05). Consumer cost sharing reduces the use of physician-administered specialty drugs for rheumatoid arthritis. The higher use of patient self-administered specialty drugs suggests that the disincentives for use of physician-administered drugs were offset by an increased incentive to use self-administered drugs.

Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of a Skin Awareness Intervention for Early Detection of Skin Cancer Targeting Men Older Than 50 Years.

Science.gov (United States)

Gordon, Louisa G; Brynes, Joshua; Baade, Peter D; Neale, Rachel E; Whiteman, David C; Youl, Philippa H; Aitken, Joanne F; Janda, Monika

2017-04-01

To assess the cost-effectiveness of an educational intervention encouraging self-skin examinations for early detection of skin cancers among men older than 50 years. A lifetime Markov model was constructed to combine data from the Skin Awareness Trial and other published sources. The model incorporated a health system perspective and the cost and health outcomes for melanoma, squamous and basal cell carcinomas, and benign skin lesions. Key model outcomes included Australian costs (2015), quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs), life-years, and counts of skin cancers. Univariate and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were undertaken to address parameter uncertainty. The mean cost of the intervention was A$5,298 compared with A$4,684 for usual care, whereas mean QALYs were 7.58 for the intervention group and 7.77 for the usual care group. The intervention was thus inferior to usual care. When only survival gain is considered, the model predicted the intervention would cost A$1,059 per life-year saved. The likelihood that the intervention was cost-effective up to A$50,000 per QALY gained was 43.9%. The model was stable to most data estimates; nevertheless, it relies on the specificity of clinical diagnosis of skin cancers and is subject to limited health utility data for people with skin lesions. Although the intervention improved skin checking behaviors and encouraged men to seek medical advice about suspicious lesions, the overall costs and effects from also detecting more squamous and basal cell carcinomas and benign lesions outweighed the positive health gains from detecting more thin melanomas. Copyright © 2017 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Cost-utility and budget impact analysis of drug treatments in pulmonary arterial hypertension associated with congenital heart diseases in Thailand.

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Thongsri, Watsamon; Bussabawalai, Thanaporn; Leelahavarong, Pattara; Wanitkun, Suthep; Durongpisitkul, Kritvikrom; Chaikledkaew, Usa; Teerawattananon, Yot

2016-08-01

This study aims to compare the lifetime costs and health outcomes of both first-line and sequential combination treatments with standard treatment for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) associated with congenital heart disease (CHD) (PAH-CHD) patients. A cost-utility analysis was performed using a Markov model based on a societal perspective. One-way and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were performed to investigate the effect of parameter uncertainty. As first-line treatments, both beraprost (incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) = 192,752 and 201,308 Thai baht (THB) per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) gained) and sildenafil (ICER = 249,770 and 226,802 THB per QALY gained) seemed cost-effective for PAH-CHD patients aged ≤30 years in functional classes II and III, respectively, while no treatment was cost-effective for the sequential combination therapy. Sildenafil should be included in the National Drug List of Essential Medicines as the first-line treatment for PAH-CHD, and its price per dose should be negotiated to be reduced by 43-57%.

Health Economics as Rhetoric: The Limited Impact of Health Economics on Funding Decisions in Four European Countries.

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Franken, Margreet; Heintz, Emelie; Gerber-Grote, Andreas; Raftery, James

2016-12-01

A response to the challenge of high-cost treatments in health care has been economic evaluation. Cost-effectiveness analysis presented as cost per quality-adjusted life-years gained has been controversial, raising heated support and opposition. To assess the impact of economic evaluation in decisions on what to fund in four European countries and discuss the implications of our findings. We used a protocol to review the key features of the application of economic evaluation in reimbursement decision making in England, Germany, the Netherlands, and Sweden, reporting country-specific highlights. Although the institutions and processes vary by country, health economic evaluation has had limited impact on restricting access of controversial high-cost drugs. Even in those countries that have gone the furthest, ways have been found to avoid refusing to fund high-cost drugs for particular diseases including cancer, multiple sclerosis, and orphan diseases. Economic evaluation may, however, have helped some countries to negotiate price reductions for some drugs. It has also extended to the discussion of clinical effectiveness to include cost. The differences in approaches but similarities in outcomes suggest that health economic evaluation be viewed largely as rhetoric (in D.N. McCloskey's terms in The Rhetoric of Economics, 1985). This is not to imply that economics had no impact: rather that it usually contributed to the discourse in ways that differed by country. The reasons for this no doubt vary by perspective, from political science to ethics. Economic evaluation may have less to do with rationing or denial of medical treatments than to do with expanding the discourse used to discuss such issues. Copyright © 2016 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Automated Low-Cost Smartphone-Based Lateral Flow Saliva Test Reader for Drugs-of-Abuse Detection

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Adrian Carrio

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Lateral flow assay tests are nowadays becoming powerful, low-cost diagnostic tools. Obtaining a result is usually subject to visual interpretation of colored areas on the test by a human operator, introducing subjectivity and the possibility of errors in the extraction of the results. While automated test readers providing a result-consistent solution are widely available, they usually lack portability. In this paper, we present a smartphone-based automated reader for drug-of-abuse lateral flow assay tests, consisting of an inexpensive light box and a smartphone device. Test images captured with the smartphone camera are processed in the device using computer vision and machine learning techniques to perform automatic extraction of the results. A deep validation of the system has been carried out showing the high accuracy of the system. The proposed approach, applicable to any line-based or color-based lateral flow test in the market, effectively reduces the manufacturing costs of the reader and makes it portable and massively available while providing accurate, reliable results.

Automated Low-Cost Smartphone-Based Lateral Flow Saliva Test Reader for Drugs-of-Abuse Detection.

Science.gov (United States)

Carrio, Adrian; Sampedro, Carlos; Sanchez-Lopez, Jose Luis; Pimienta, Miguel; Campoy, Pascual

2015-11-24

Lateral flow assay tests are nowadays becoming powerful, low-cost diagnostic tools. Obtaining a result is usually subject to visual interpretation of colored areas on the test by a human operator, introducing subjectivity and the possibility of errors in the extraction of the results. While automated test readers providing a result-consistent solution are widely available, they usually lack portability. In this paper, we present a smartphone-based automated reader for drug-of-abuse lateral flow assay tests, consisting of an inexpensive light box and a smartphone device. Test images captured with the smartphone camera are processed in the device using computer vision and machine learning techniques to perform automatic extraction of the results. A deep validation of the system has been carried out showing the high accuracy of the system. The proposed approach, applicable to any line-based or color-based lateral flow test in the market, effectively reduces the manufacturing costs of the reader and makes it portable and massively available while providing accurate, reliable results.

Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of a Navigation Program for Colorectal Cancer Screening to Reduce Social Health Inequalities: A French Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial.

Science.gov (United States)

De Mil, Rémy; Guillaume, Elodie; Guittet, Lydia; Dejardin, Olivier; Bouvier, Véronique; Pornet, Carole; Christophe, Véronique; Notari, Annick; Delattre-Massy, Hélène; De Seze, Chantal; Peng, Jérôme; Launoy, Guy; Berchi, Célia

2018-06-01

Patient navigation programs to increase colorectal cancer (CRC) screening adherence have become widespread in recent years, especially among deprived populations. To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of the first patient navigation program in France. A total of 16,250 participants were randomized to either the usual screening group (n = 8145) or the navigation group (n = 8105). Navigation consisted of personalized support provided by social workers. A cost-effectiveness analysis of navigation versus usual screening was conducted from the payer perspective in the Picardy region of northern France. We considered nonmedical direct costs in the analysis. Navigation was associated with a significant increase of 3.3% (24.4% vs. 21.1%; P = 0.003) in participation. The increase in participation was higher among affluent participants (+4.1%; P = 0.01) than among deprived ones (+2.6%; P = 0.07). The cost per additional individual screened by navigation compared with usual screening (incremental cost-effectiveness ratio) was €1212 globally and €1527 among deprived participants. Results were sensitive to navigator wages and to the intervention effectiveness whose variations had the greatest impact on the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio. Patient navigation aiming at increasing CRC screening participation is more efficient among affluent individuals. Nevertheless, when the intervention is implemented for the entire population, social inequalities in CRC screening adherence increase. To reduce social inequalities, patient navigation should therefore be restricted to deprived populations, despite not being the most cost-effective strategy, and accepted to bear a higher extra cost per additional individual screened. Copyright © 2018 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

[International reference prices and cost minimization analysis for the regulation of medicine prices in Colombia].

Science.gov (United States)

Vacca, Caludia; Acosta, Angela; Rodriguez, Ivan

2011-01-01

To suggest a scheme of decision making on pricing for medicines that are part of Free Regulated Regime, a regulation way of the pharmaceutical pricing policy in Colombia. It includes two regulation tools: international reference prices and a cost minimization analysis methodology. Following the current pricing policy, international reference prices were built with data from five countries for selected medicines, which are under Free Regulated Regime. The cost minimization analysis methodology includes selection of those medicines under Free Regulated Regime with possible comparable medicines, selection of comparable medicines, and treatment costs evaluation. As a result of the estimate of International Reference Prices, four medicines showed in the domestic pharmaceutical market a bigger price than the Reference Price. A scheme of decision-making was design containing two possible regulation tools for medicines that are part of Free Regulated Regime: estimate of international reference prices and cost minimization analysis methodology. This diagram would be useful to assist the pricing regulation of Free Regulated Regime in Colombia. As present results shows, international reference prices make clear when domestic prices are higher than those of reference countries. In the current regulation of pharmaceutical prices in Colombia, the international reference price has been applied for four medicines. Would be suitable to extend this methodology to other medicines of high impact on the pharmaceutical expenditure, in particular those covered by public funding. The availability of primary sources about treatment costs in Colombia needs to be improved as a requirement to develop pharmaco-economic evidence. SISMED is an official database that represents an important primary source of medicines prices in Colombia. Nevertheless, having into account that SISMED represents an important advantage of transparency in medicines prices, it needs to be improved in quality and data

Long-term medical costs and life expectancy of acute myeloid leukemia: a probabilistic decision model.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Han-I; Aas, Eline; Howell, Debra; Roman, Eve; Patmore, Russell; Jack, Andrew; Smith, Alexandra

2014-03-01

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) can be diagnosed at any age and treatment, which can be given with supportive and/or curative intent, is considered expensive compared with that for other cancers. Despite this, no long-term predictive models have been developed for AML, mainly because of the complexities associated with this disease. The objective of the current study was to develop a model (based on a UK cohort) to predict cost and life expectancy at a population level. The model developed in this study combined a decision tree with several Markov models to reflect the complexity of the prognostic factors and treatments of AML. The model was simulated with a cycle length of 1 month for a time period of 5 years and further simulated until age 100 years or death. Results were compared for two age groups and five different initial treatment intents and responses. Transition probabilities, life expectancies, and costs were derived from a UK population-based specialist registry-the Haematological Malignancy Research Network (www.hmrn.org). Overall, expected 5-year medical costs and life expectancy ranged from £8,170 to £81,636 and 3.03 to 34.74 months, respectively. The economic and health outcomes varied with initial treatment intent, age at diagnosis, trial participation, and study time horizon. The model was validated by using face, internal, and external validation methods. The results show that the model captured more than 90% of the empirical costs, and it demonstrated good fit with the empirical overall survival. Costs and life expectancy of AML varied with patient characteristics and initial treatment intent. The robust AML model developed in this study could be used to evaluate new diagnostic tools/treatments, as well as enable policy makers to make informed decisions. Copyright © 2014 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Direct and indirect costs for adverse drug events identified in medical records across care levels, and their distribution among payers.

Science.gov (United States)

Natanaelsson, Jennie; Hakkarainen, Katja M; Hägg, Staffan; Andersson Sundell, Karolina; Petzold, Max; Rehnberg, Clas; Jönsson, Anna K; Gyllensten, Hanna

2017-11-01

Adverse drug events (ADEs) cause considerable costs in hospitals. However, little is known about costs caused by ADEs outside hospitals, effects on productivity, and how the costs are distributed among payers. To describe the direct and indirect costs caused by ADEs, and their distribution among payers. Furthermore, to describe the distribution of patient out-of-pocket costs and lost productivity caused by ADEs according to socio-economic characteristics. In a random sample of 5025 adults in a Swedish county, prevalence-based costs for ADEs were calculated. Two different methods were used: 1) based on resource use judged to be caused by ADEs, and 2) as costs attributable to ADEs by comparing costs among individuals with ADEs to costs among matched controls. Payers of costs caused by ADEs were identified in medical records among those with ADEs (n = 596), and costs caused to individual patients were described by socio-economic characteristics. Costs for resource use caused by ADEs were €505 per patient with ADEs (95% confidence interval €345-665), of which 38% were indirect costs. Compared to matched controls, the costs attributable to ADEs were €1631, of which €410 were indirect costs. The local health authorities paid 58% of the costs caused by ADEs. Women had higher productivity loss than men (€426 vs. €109, p = 0.018). Out-of-pocket costs displaced a larger proportion of the disposable income among low-income earners than higher income earners (0.7% vs. 0.2%-0.3%). We used two methods to identify costs for ADEs, both identifying indirect costs as an important component of the overall costs for ADEs. Although the largest payers of costs caused by ADEs were the local health authorities responsible for direct costs, employers and patients costs for lost productivity contributed substantially. Our results indicate inequalities in costs caused by ADEs, by sex and income. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Cost-utility analysis comparing radioactive iodine, anti-thyroid drugs and total thyroidectomy for primary treatment of Graves' disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Donovan, Peter J; McLeod, Donald S A; Little, Richard; Gordon, Louisa

2016-12-01

Little data is in existence about the most cost-effective primary treatment for Graves' disease. We performed a cost-utility analysis comparing radioactive iodine (RAI), anti-thyroid drugs (ATD) and total thyroidectomy (TT) as first-line therapy for Graves' disease in England and Australia. We used a Markov model to compare lifetime costs and benefits (quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs)). The model included efficacy, rates of relapse and major complications associated with each treatment, and alternative second-line therapies. Model parameters were obtained from published literature. One-way sensitivity analyses were conducted. Costs were presented in 2015£ or Australian Dollars (AUD). RAI was the least expensive therapy in both England (£5425; QALYs 34.73) and Australia (AUD5601; 30.97 QALYs). In base case results, in both countries, ATD was a cost-effective alternative to RAI (£16 866; 35.17 QALYs; incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) £26 279 per QALY gained England; AUD8924; 31.37 QALYs; ICER AUD9687 per QALY gained Australia), while RAI dominated TT (£7115; QALYs 33.93 England; AUD15 668; 30.25 QALYs Australia). In sensitivity analysis, base case results were stable to changes in most cost, transition probabilities and health-relative quality-of-life (HRQoL) weights; however, in England, the results were sensitive to changes in the HRQoL weights of hypothyroidism and euthyroidism on ATD. In this analysis, RAI is the least expensive choice for first-line treatment strategy for Graves' disease. In England and Australia, ATD is likely to be a cost-effective alternative, while TT is unlikely to be cost-effective. Further research into HRQoL in Graves' disease could improve the quality of future studies. © 2016 European Society of Endocrinology.

Patient-Centered Drug Approval: The Role of Patient Advocacy in the Drug Approval Process.

Science.gov (United States)

Mattingly, T Joseph; Simoni-Wastila, Linda

2017-10-01

Recent approval of eteplirsen for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), a rare disease with few treatment alternatives, has reignited the debate over the U.S. drug approval process. The evolution of legal and regulatory restrictions to the marketing and sale of pharmaceuticals has spanned more than a century, and throughout this history, patient advocacy has played a significant role. Scientific evidence from clinical trials serves as the foundation for drug approval, but the patient voice has become increasingly influential. Although the gold standard for establishing safety and efficacy through randomized controlled trials has been in place for more than 50 years, it poses several limitations for rare disorders where patient recruitment for traditional clinical trials is a major barrier. Organized efforts by patient advocacy groups to help patients with rare diseases access investigational therapy have had a legislative and regulatory effect. After approval by the FDA, patient access to therapy may still be limited by cost. A managed care organization (MCO) with the fiduciary responsibility of managing the health of a population must weigh coverage decisions for costly therapies with questionable effectiveness against alternatives within the constraint of a finite budget. Even when the FDA deems a drug safe and effective, an MCO may determine that the drug should only be made available at a tier level where out-of-pocket costs are still too high for many patients. This limitation of availability may be due to cost, other treatment alternatives, or outcomes from existing clinical evidence. However, if the MCO makes a costly new treatment for a rare disease readily available, it may temporarily satisfy a small contingency at the cost of all of its members. This article examines the risks and benefits of patient-centered drug approval and the potential economic effect of patient-centered drug approval on population health. There is no funding to disclose. Mattingly

Reference drug programs: Effectiveness and policy implications☆

Science.gov (United States)

Schneeweiss, Sebastian

2010-01-01

In the current economic environment, health care systems are constantly struggling to contain rapidly rising costs. Drug costs are targeted by a wide variety of measures. Many jurisdictions have implemented reference drug programs (RDPs) or similar therapeutic substitution programs. This paper summarizes the mechanism and rationale of RDPs and presents evidence of their economic effectiveness and clinical safety. RDPs for pharmaceutical reimbursement are based on the assumption that drugs within specified medication groups are therapeutically equivalent and clinically interchangeable and that a common reimbursement level can thus be established. If the evidence documents that a higher price for a given drug does not buy greater effectiveness or reduced toxicity, then under RDP such extra costs are not covered. RDPs or therapeutic substitutions based on therapeutic equivalence are seen as logical extensions of generic substitution that is based on bioequivalence of drugs. If the goal is to achieve full drug coverage for as many patients as possible in the most efficient manner, then RDPs in combination with prior authorization programs are safer and more effective than simplistic fiscal drug policies, including fixed co-payments, co-insurances, or deductibles. RDPs will reduce spending in the less innovative but largest market, while fully covering all patients. Prior authorization will ensure that patients with a specified indication will benefit from the most innovative therapies with full coverage. In practice, however, not all patients and drugs will fit exactly into one of the two categories. Therefore, a process of medically indicated exemptions that will consider full coverage should accompany an RDP. In the current economic environment, health care systems are constantly struggling to contain rapidly rising costs. Drug costs are targeted by a wide variety of measures. Many jurisdictions have implemented reference drug programs, and others are considering

Statistical Methods for the Analysis of Discrete Choice Experiments: A Report of the ISPOR Conjoint Analysis Good Research Practices Task Force.

Science.gov (United States)

Hauber, A Brett; González, Juan Marcos; Groothuis-Oudshoorn, Catharina G M; Prior, Thomas; Marshall, Deborah A; Cunningham, Charles; IJzerman, Maarten J; Bridges, John F P

2016-06-01

Conjoint analysis is a stated-preference survey method that can be used to elicit responses that reveal preferences, priorities, and the relative importance of individual features associated with health care interventions or services. Conjoint analysis methods, particularly discrete choice experiments (DCEs), have been increasingly used to quantify preferences of patients, caregivers, physicians, and other stakeholders. Recent consensus-based guidance on good research practices, including two recent task force reports from the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research, has aided in improving the quality of conjoint analyses and DCEs in outcomes research. Nevertheless, uncertainty regarding good research practices for the statistical analysis of data from DCEs persists. There are multiple methods for analyzing DCE data. Understanding the characteristics and appropriate use of different analysis methods is critical to conducting a well-designed DCE study. This report will assist researchers in evaluating and selecting among alternative approaches to conducting statistical analysis of DCE data. We first present a simplistic DCE example and a simple method for using the resulting data. We then present a pedagogical example of a DCE and one of the most common approaches to analyzing data from such a question format-conditional logit. We then describe some common alternative methods for analyzing these data and the strengths and weaknesses of each alternative. We present the ESTIMATE checklist, which includes a list of questions to consider when justifying the choice of analysis method, describing the analysis, and interpreting the results. Copyright © 2016 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Cost-Effectiveness and Value of Information Analysis of Brief Interventions to Promote Physical Activity in Primary Care.

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Gc, Vijay Singh; Suhrcke, Marc; Hardeman, Wendy; Sutton, Stephen; Wilson, Edward C F

2018-01-01

Brief interventions (BIs) delivered in primary care have shown potential to increase physical activity levels and may be cost-effective, at least in the short-term, when compared with usual care. Nevertheless, there is limited evidence on their longer term costs and health benefits. To estimate the cost-effectiveness of BIs to promote physical activity in primary care and to guide future research priorities using value of information analysis. A decision model was used to compare the cost-effectiveness of three classes of BIs that have been used, or could be used, to promote physical activity in primary care: 1) pedometer interventions, 2) advice/counseling on physical activity, and (3) action planning interventions. Published risk equations and data from the available literature or routine data sources were used to inform model parameters. Uncertainty was investigated with probabilistic sensitivity analysis, and value of information analysis was conducted to estimate the value of undertaking further research. In the base-case, pedometer interventions yielded the highest expected net benefit at a willingness to pay of £20,000 per quality-adjusted life-year. There was, however, a great deal of decision uncertainty: the expected value of perfect information surrounding the decision problem for the National Health Service Health Check population was estimated at £1.85 billion. Our analysis suggests that the use of pedometer BIs is the most cost-effective strategy to promote physical activity in primary care, and that there is potential value in further research into the cost-effectiveness of brief (i.e., <30 minutes) and very brief (i.e., <5 minutes) pedometer interventions in this setting. Copyright © 2018 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Prices, profits, and innovation: examining criticisms of new psychotropic drugs' value.

Science.gov (United States)

Huskamp, Haiden A

2006-01-01

High profits and high drug costs have brought increased scrutiny of the pharmaceutical industry over the issue of whether the drugs they produce are worth the costs. I examine several related complaints, including the proliferation of me-too drugs and product reformulations, which some argue have little value relative to their cost; the baseless promotion of newer drug classes as more effective than existing, less expensive drugs; legal strategies to extend market exclusivity that result in high brand-name drug prices for an extended period of time; and large promotional expenditures that result in higher prices.

Shining a light in the black box of orphan drug pricing

Science.gov (United States)

2014-01-01

Background The pricing mechanism of orphan drugs appears arbitrary and has been referred to as a “black box”. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate how drug- and disease-specific variables relate to orphan drug prices. Additionally, we aim to explore if certain country-specific pricing and reimbursement policies affect the price level of orphan drugs. Methods Annual treatment costs per indication per patient were calculated for 59 orphan drugs with a publicly available price in Belgium, the Netherlands, Czech Republic, France, Italy and the United Kingdom. A multiple linear regression model was built with 14 drug- and disease-specific variables. A Mann-Whitney U test was used to explore whether there is a correlation between annual treatment costs of orphan drugs across countries with different pricing and reimbursement policies. Results Repurposed orphan drugs, orally administered orphan drugs or orphan drugs for which an alternative treatment is available are associated with lower annual treatment costs. Orphan drugs with multiple orphan indications, for chronic treatments or for which an improvement in overall survival or quality-of-life has been demonstrated, are associated with higher annual treatment costs. No association was found between annual treatments cost of orphan drugs across countries and the different pricing and reimbursement systems. Conclusions This study has shown that prices of orphan drugs are influenced by factors such as the availability of an alternative drug treatment, repurposing, etc. Current debate about the affordability of orphan drugs highlights the need for more transparency in orphan drug price setting. PMID:24767472

Urine drug screening in the medical setting.

Science.gov (United States)

Hammett-Stabler, Catherine A; Pesce, Amadeo J; Cannon, Donald J

2002-01-01

The term drug screen is a misnomer since it implies screening for all drugs, which is not possible. Current practice is to limit the testing to the examination of serum for several drugs such as ethanol, acetaminophen, salicylate, and of urine for several specific drugs or classes of drugs. In the emergency setting the screen should be performed in less than one hour. Controversies continue to exist regarding the value of urine drug testing in the medical setting. The reasons for these include the drugs involved, the sample, the methods utilized to perform the tests, and the level of understanding of the physician using the data, all of which are closely related to the other. Current automated methods provide rapid results demanded in emergency situations, but are often designed for, or adapted from, workplace testing and are not necessarily optimized for clinical applications. Furthermore, the use of these methods without consideration of the frequency in which the drugs are found in a given area is not cost-effective. The laboratory must understand the limitations of the assays used and provide this information to the physician. Additionally, the laboratory and the physicians using the data must cooperate to determine which drugs are appropriate and necessary to measure for their institution and clinical setting. In doing so it should be remembered that for many drugs, the sample, urine, contains the end product(s) of drug metabolism, not the parent drug. Furthermore, it is necessary to understand the pharmacokinetic parameters of the drug of interest when interpreting data. Finally, while testing for some drugs may not appear cost-effective, the prevention or reduction of morbidity and mortality may offset any laboratory costs. While the literature is replete with studies concerning new methods and a few regarding physician understanding, there are none that we could find that thoroughly, objectively, and fully addressed the issues of utility and cost-effectiveness.

Cost of provision of opioid substitution therapy provision in Tijuana, Mexico.

Science.gov (United States)

Burgos, Jose Luis; Cepeda, Javier A; Kahn, James G; Mittal, Maria Luisa; Meza, Emilio; Lazos, Raúl Rafael Palacios; Vargas, Psyché Calderón; Vickerman, Peter; Strathdee, Steffanie A; Martin, Natasha K

2018-05-23

Mexico recently enacted drug policy reform to decriminalize possession of small amounts of illicit drugs and mandated that police refer identified substance users to drug treatment. However, the economic implications of drug treatment expansion are uncertain. We estimated the costs of opioid substitution therapy (OST) provision in Tijuana, Mexico, where opioid use and HIV are major public health concerns. We adopted an economic health care provider perspective and applied an ingredients-based micro-costing approach to quantify the average monthly cost of OST (methadone maintenance) provision at two providers (one private and one public) in Tijuana, Mexico. Costs were divided by type of input (capital, recurrent personnel and non-personnel). We defined "delivery cost" as all costs except for the methadone and compared total cost by type of methadone (powdered form or capsule). Cost data were obtained from interviews with senior staff and review of expenditure reports. Service provision data were obtained from activity logs and senior staff interviews. Outcomes were cost per OST contact and cost per person month of OST. We additionally collected information on patient charges for OST provision from published rates. The total cost per OST contact at the private and public sites was $3.12 and $5.90, respectively, corresponding to $95 and $179 per person month of OST. The costs of methadone delivery per OST contact were similar at both sites ($2.78 private and $3.46 public). However, cost of the methadone itself varied substantially ($0.34 per 80 mg dose [powder] at the private site and $2.44 per dose [capsule] at the public site). Patients were charged $1.93-$2.66 per methadone dose. The cost of OST provision in Mexico is consistent with other upper-middle income settings. However, evidenced-based (OST) drug treatment facilities in Mexico are still unaffordable to most people who inject drugs.

Improving cost-effectiveness of hypertension management at a ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Objectives. To describe the pattern of prescribing for hypertension at a community health centre (CHC) and to evaluate the impact of introducing treatment guidelines and restricting availability of less cost-effective antihypertensive drugs on prescribing patterns, costs of drug treatment and blood pressure (BP) control. Design ...

Excluding Orphan Drugs from the 340B Drug Discount Program: the Impact on 18 Critical Access Hospitals

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Madeline Carpinelli Wallack

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Purpose: The 340B Drug Pricing Program is a federal program designed to reduce the amount that safety net providers spend on outpatient drugs. The Patient Protection and Affordable Health Care Act of 2010 extended eligibility for 340B to critical access hospitals (CAHs for all drugs except those designated as “orphan.” Because this policy is unprecedented, this study quantifies the gross financial impact that this exemption has on a group of CAHs. Methods: Drug spending for 2010 from 18 CAHs in Minnesota and Wisconsin are reviewed to identify the prevalence of orphan drug purchases and to calculate the price differentials between the 340B price and the hospitals’ current cost. Results: The 18 CAHs’ purchases of orphan drugs comprise an average of 44% of the total annual drug budgets, but only 5% of units purchased, thus representing a very high proportion of their expenditures. In the aggregate, the 18 hospitals would have saved $3.1 million ($171,000 average per hospital had purchases of drugs with orphan designations been made at the 340B price. Because CAH claims for Medicare are reimbursed on a cost-basis, the Federal government is losing an opportunity for savings. Conclusion: The high prevalence of orphan drug use and considerable potential for cost reduction through the 340B program demonstrate the loss of benefit to the hospitals, Federal government and the states.

Comparative Cost-Effectiveness of Drugs in Early versus Late Stages of Cancer : Review of the Literature and a Case Study in Breast Cancer

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dvortsin, Evgeni; Gout-Zwart, Judith; Eijssen, Ernst-Lodewijk Marie; van Brussel, Jan; Postma, Maarten J.

2016-01-01

Background Many oncological drugs that are being used in the adjuvant setting were first submitted for reimbursement in the metastatic stage, with differences in incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) in both settings having potential implications for reimbursement and pricing. The aim of

Doctors' attitudes about prescribing and knowledge of the costs of common medications.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

McGuire, C

2012-02-01

INTRODUCTION: Compliance with medical therapy may be compromised because of the affordability of medications. Inadequate physician knowledge of drug costs may unwittingly contribute to this problem. METHODS: We measured attitudes about prescribing and knowledge of medication costs by written survey of medical and surgical non consultant hospital doctors and consultants in two University teaching hospitals (n = 102). Sixty-eight percent felt the cost of medicines was an important consideration in the prescribing decision, however, 88% often felt unaware of the actual costs. Only 33% had easy access to drug cost data, and only 3% had been formally educated about drug costs. Doctors\\' estimates of the cost of a supply of ten commonly used medications were accurate in only 12% of cases, too low for 50%, and too high for 38%. CONCLUSIONS: Interventions are needed to educate doctors about drug costs and provide them with reliable, easily accessible cost information in real-world practice.

Costo Utilidad de Colágena Polivinil-Pirrolidona en el Tratamiento de Osteartrosis de Rodilla en México.

Science.gov (United States)

Burbano-Levy, Ximena; Qf, Diana Cardona; Act, Elsa Palacios; Alba, Israel Rico; Qf, León Zapata

2014-12-01

To assess the cost-utility of collagen-polyvinyl pyrrolidone (collagen-PVP), a new drug developed and manufactured in Mexico, compared to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in the treatment of patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA) in Mexico. A probabilistic Markov model with a lifetime horizon was designed to evaluate the costs and outcomes (QALYs) of collagen-PVP compared to NSAIDs in patients with OA. Data from randomized clinical trials conducted in México were obtained as input for probabilities. Utility values ​​were elicited from international publications and costs information and service utilization was obtained from official publications of the Instituto Mexicano de Seguro Social - IMSS. Cost per quality-adjusted life-years was calculated by using the Mexican Healthcare payer perspective. A discount rate of 5% for both cost and outcomes was used. Sensitivity analyzes were performed with variations in the parameters of gender, age, and price of collagen-PVP. Patients treated with collagen-PVP showed a gain of 6.62 QALYs compared with 5.36 in patients with NSAIDs. The cost-utility ratio was higher in the NSAID group (MEX$ 170,010.76/QALY) compared to collagen-PVP (MEX $ 130,953.63/QALY). The incremental cost-utility ratio was MEX $ 35,194.16. This is the first economic evaluation of a new medication developed in Mexico and conducted partially with local data. The results of this study allow concluding that collagen-PVP is deemed as the dominant alternative compared with NSAIDs in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis. Copyright © 2014 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The cost of molecular-guided therapy in oncology: a prospective cost study alongside the MOSCATO trial.

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Pagès, Arnaud; Foulon, Stéphanie; Zou, Zhaomin; Lacroix, Ludovic; Lemare, François; de Baère, Thierry; Massard, Christophe; Soria, Jean-Charles; Bonastre, Julia

2017-06-01

There is increasing use of molecular technologies to guide cancer treatments, but few cost data are available. Our objective was to assess the costs of molecular-guided therapy for patients with advanced solid tumors alongside the Molecular Screening for Cancer Treatment and Optimization (MOSCATO) trial. The study population consisted of 529 patients. The molecular diagnosis included seven steps from tumor biopsy to the multidisciplinary molecular tumor board. The cost of a complete molecular diagnosis was assessed by micro-costing. Direct costs incurred from enrollment until progression were assessed from the French National Health Insurance perspective. The patients' mean age was 54 years (range: 3-82) and the mean follow-up period was 145 days (range: 1-707 days). A complete molecular diagnosis cost [euro ]2,396. There were 220 patients with an actionable target (42%), among whom 105 (20%) actually received a targeted therapy. The cost of molecular-guided therapy per patient was [euro ]31,269. The main cost drivers were anticancer drugs (54%) and hospitalizations (35%). This prospective cost analysis showed that molecular diagnosis accounts for only 6% of the cost of molecular-guided therapy per patient. The costs of drugs and hospitalizations are the main cost drivers.Genet Med advance online publication 01 December 2016.

Impact of a University-Based Outpatient Telemedicine Program on Time Savings, Travel Costs, and Environmental Pollutants.

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Dullet, Navjit W; Geraghty, Estella M; Kaufman, Taylor; Kissee, Jamie L; King, Jesse; Dharmar, Madan; Smith, Anthony C; Marcin, James P

2017-04-01

The objective of this study was to estimate travel-related and environmental savings resulting from the use of telemedicine for outpatient specialty consultations with a university telemedicine program. The study was designed to retrospectively analyze the telemedicine consultation database at the University of California Davis Health System (UCDHS) between July 1996 and December 2013. Travel distances and travel times were calculated between the patient home, the telemedicine clinic, and the UCDHS in-person clinic. Travel cost savings and environmental impact were calculated by determining differences in mileage reimbursement rate and emissions between those incurred in attending telemedicine appointments and those that would have been incurred if a visit to the hub site had been necessary. There were 19,246 consultations identified among 11,281 unique patients. Telemedicine visits resulted in a total travel distance savings of 5,345,602 miles, a total travel time savings of 4,708,891 minutes or 8.96 years, and a total direct travel cost savings of $2,882,056. The mean per-consultation round-trip distance savings were 278 miles, average travel time savings were 245 minutes, and average cost savings were $156. Telemedicine consultations resulted in a total emissions savings of 1969 metric tons of CO 2 , 50 metric tons of CO, 3.7 metric tons of NO x , and 5.5 metric tons of volatile organic compounds. This study demonstrates the positive impact of a health system's outpatient telemedicine program on patient travel time, patient travel costs, and environmental pollutants. Copyright © 2017 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Cost Effectiveness of Candida Polymerase Chain Reaction Detection and Empirical Antifungal Treatment among Patients with Suspected Fungal Peritonitis in the Intensive Care Unit.

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Pagès, Arnaud; Iriart, Xavier; Molinier, Laurent; Georges, Bernard; Berry, Antoine; Massip, Patrice; Juillard-Condat, Blandine

2017-12-01

Mortality from intra-abdominal candidiasis in intensive care units (ICUs) is high. It takes many days for peritoneal-fluid fungal culture to become positive, and the recommended empirical antifungal therapy involves excessive costs. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) should produce results more rapidly than fungal culture. To perform a cost-effectiveness analysis of the combination of several diagnostic and therapeutic strategies to manage Candida peritonitis in non-neutropenic adult patients in ICUs. We constructed a decision tree model to evaluate the cost effectiveness. Cost and effectiveness were taken into account in a 1-year time horizon and from the French National Health Insurance perspective. Six strategies were compared: fluconazole or echinocandin as an empirical therapy, plus diagnosis by fungal culture or detection by PCR of all Candida species, or use of PCR to detect most fluconazole-resistant Candida species (i.e., Candida krusei and Candida glabrata). The use of fluconazole empirical treatment and PCR to detect all Candida species is more cost effective than using fluconazole empirical treatment without PCR (incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of €40,055/quality-adjusted life-year). Empirical treatment with echinocandin plus PCR to detect C. krusei and C. glabrata is the most effective strategy, but has an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of €93,776/quality-adjusted life-year. If the cost of echinocandin decreases, then strategies involving PCR plus empirical echinocandin become more cost-effective. Detection by PCR of all Candida species and of most fluconazole-resistant Candida species could improve the cost-effectiveness of fluconazole and echinocandin given to non-neutropenic patients with suspected peritoneal candidiasis in ICUs. Copyright © 2017 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Cost-Effectiveness of Low-Cost Essential Antihypertensive Medicines for Hypertension Control in China: A Modelling Study.

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Dongfeng Gu

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Hypertension is China's leading cardiovascular disease risk factor. Improved hypertension control in China would result in result in enormous health gains in the world's largest population. A computer simulation model projected the cost-effectiveness of hypertension treatment in Chinese adults, assuming a range of essential medicines list drug costs.The Cardiovascular Disease Policy Model-China, a Markov-style computer simulation model, simulated hypertension screening, essential medicines program implementation, hypertension control program administration, drug treatment and monitoring costs, disease-related costs, and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs gained by preventing cardiovascular disease or lost because of drug side effects in untreated hypertensive adults aged 35-84 y over 2015-2025. Cost-effectiveness was assessed in cardiovascular disease patients (secondary prevention and for two blood pressure ranges in primary prevention (stage one, 140-159/90-99 mm Hg; stage two, ≥160/≥100 mm Hg. Treatment of isolated systolic hypertension and combined systolic and diastolic hypertension were modeled as a reduction in systolic blood pressure; treatment of isolated diastolic hypertension was modeled as a reduction in diastolic blood pressure. One-way and probabilistic sensitivity analyses explored ranges of antihypertensive drug effectiveness and costs, monitoring frequency, medication adherence, side effect severity, background hypertension prevalence, antihypertensive medication treatment, case fatality, incidence and prevalence, and cardiovascular disease treatment costs. Median antihypertensive costs from Shanghai and Yunnan province were entered into the model in order to estimate the effects of very low and high drug prices. Incremental cost-effectiveness ratios less than the per capita gross domestic product of China (11,900 international dollars [Int$] in 2015 were considered cost-effective. Treating hypertensive adults with prior

Pharmaceuticals: pharmaceutical cost controls--2005. End of Year Issue Brief.

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Seay, Melicia; Varma, Priya

2005-12-31

The enactment of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990 (OBRA '90) gave states the option of offering pharmaceutical benefits within their Medicaid programs. But the law placed restrictions on states' flexibility to control what prescriptions they would cover and required the states to reimburse outpatient prescription drugs from manufacturers that signed rebate agreements with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Forty-nine states--Arizona is excluded, based on its program structure--and the District of Columbia currently offer prescription drug coverage under the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program. During the past four years, states all over the country have been plagued with revenue shortfalls in their state Medicaid budgets. While the fiscal situation improved for most states in the 2004 legislative session, many states still face budget pressures in 2005. Compounding existing budget pressures are threats from the Bush Administration to shift increased costs of the Medicaid program on to the states. All things considered, the economic pressure of funding Medicaid is at the top of legislative agendas in 2005. As in previous years, states are attempting to reduce costs to their Medicaid programs by seeking savings in their pharmaceutical programs. Prescription drug costs are highly attributed as a contributing factor to the fiscal climate of state Medicaid programs. Currently, prescription drug spending outpaces that of every other category of health care and drug prices are rising faster than inflation. In response, states are instituting a variety of pharmaceutical cost control measures such as creating preferred drug lists (PDLs), negotiating supplemental rebates, forming bulk purchasing pools, promoting generic drug substitution and implementing price controls. As prescription drug cost containment tools have gained acceptance and momentum, they continue to be controversial. This issue brief explores the debate, history, methodology, utilization