Expert review of pharmacoeconomics & outcomes research
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Expert Rev Pharmacoecon Outcomes Res · Dec 2011
ReviewCost-effectiveness of insulin detemir: a systematic review.
The prevalence of diabetes and cost of associated treatment are steadily increasing, as is the resulting burden on healthcare systems worldwide. Current treatment recommendations for Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes advise a prominent role for basal insulin. ⋯ Those that did not find IDet to be cost effective set the disutility of hypoglycemic events to almost zero or assumed a higher dose of IDet with no difference in treatment effect, ignoring the clinical benefits and cost savings associated with IDet in studies demonstrating comparable or superior glycemic control with less hypoglycemia versus other basal insulins. The evidence suggests that IDet is cost effective versus neutral protamine Hagedorn and at least as cost effective as insulin glargine in the treatment of patients with suboptimally controlled Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.
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Expert Rev Pharmacoecon Outcomes Res · Dec 2011
ReviewThe impact of reference-pricing systems in Europe: a literature review and case studies.
As healthcare budgets are continuously rising in Europe, governments implement a wide variety of policies to control them. Reference pricing is a popular tool for governments to contain pharmaceutical expenditures, as 22 European countries have implemented this system. This article evaluates the impact of reference-pricing systems on drug use, drug prices, drug expenditure and health outcomes. ⋯ Reference pricing drives down prices of drugs subject to the system and the use of these drugs has increased. Reference pricing creates short-term savings but the long-term growth of drug expenditure has not been reduced by reference pricing. Health outcomes of patients were not negatively affected by the system.
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Expert Rev Pharmacoecon Outcomes Res · Dec 2011
Universal coverage with rising healthcare costs; health outcomes research value in decision-making in Latin America.
This is a short summary of the two plenary sessions held at the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) Latin American Conference in Mexico City (Mexico) in September 2011, with 477 registrants and 235 accepted abstract submissions. The first asked how attainable universal coverage is in the face of rising costs of health technologies; and the second considered the value of health outcomes research to decision-makers. This conference provided a scientific forum where researchers, health technology producers and public and private decision-makers shared their experiences and research in the field of health economic evaluations, health technology assessment and patient-reported outcomes/health-related quality of life studies. It was the third biennial regional meeting in Latin America, the next one being in Buenos Aires (Argentina) in 2013.
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Expert Rev Pharmacoecon Outcomes Res · Oct 2011
Examining the relationships among health-related quality-of-life indicators in cancer patients participating in clinical trials: a pooled study of baseline EORTC QLQ-C30 data.
Cancer patients experience multiple and concurrent health-related problems and symptoms due to their illness and therapies. The first objective of this analysis was to identify how health-related quality-of-life (HRQoL) indicators cluster among cancer patients and how possible clusters change across patients with different sociodemographic and clinical characteristics. The second objective of this study was to identify which HRQoL indicators are linked to patients' perception of overall quality of life. ⋯ Our findings suggest that HRQoL indicators are interrelated. Understanding these relationships may aid clinicians in managing the symptom burden experienced by patients, as well as policy-makers, in defining psychosocial support plans.
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Expert Rev Pharmacoecon Outcomes Res · Oct 2011
ReviewA literature review of symptom clusters in patients with breast cancer.
The aim of this article is to present a review reporting empirically determined symptom clusters in breast cancer patients. We conducted a literature search on symptom clusters in breast cancer patients using PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE and CINAHL. Studies examining the presence of predetermined clusters were excluded. ⋯ Although there were common symptoms assessed across the five studies, no common symptom clusters could be derived from these reports. This lack of commonality may result from the disparities in subpopulations of patients, assessment tools, and analytical and methodological approaches. As symptom cluster research continues to develop towards a clearer consensus on guidelines, the findings of symptom clusters may provide clinically valuable information regarding diagnosis, prognostication, prioritizing and managing symptoms in breast cancer patients.