Expert review of pharmacoeconomics & outcomes research
-
Expert Rev Pharmacoecon Outcomes Res · Jun 2011
Second Conference of the African Health Economics and Policy Association: towards universal healthcare coverage in Africa.
This report discusses the key messages coming out of the papers presented at the second African Health Economics and Policy Association conference, with a particular focus on innovative and recent research results of interest to a wider audience. It also covers the scientific structure and organization of the conference, including the various sessions and key note speeches. ⋯ Sub-themes of the conference included user fee removal and exemptions, covering those outside the formal sector, improved domestic funding of healthcare, purchasing of services and policy processes. The conference was attended by approximately 230 participants drawn from over 30 African countries as well as abroad, mostly from academia, research institutions, Ministries of Health and other relevant Government agencies, as well as donor and technical partners.
-
Expert Rev Pharmacoecon Outcomes Res · Dec 2010
ReviewEconomic impact of hypoglycemia on healthcare in Spain.
Diabetes mellitus has a major impact on costs for healthcare and society. The estimation for 2010 is that investment in diabetes will reach 11.6% of public healthcare expenses worldwide. The expected rise in the prevalence of diabetes over the coming decades may create problems for the sustainability of healthcare systems, such as those in Spain. ⋯ It also has a major influence on indirect costs, mainly related to reduced productivity, absenteeism and occasionally early retirement, and affects direct health, such as quality of life. As a result of SH, patients acquire a fear of new hypoglycemic episodes, which makes them modify their behavior and habits and, in the long term, has the potential to negatively impact metabolic control. Educational programs for healthcare professionals and patients with diabetes, increased involvement of patients in the management of their illness and regular self-measurement of blood glucose are all strategies aimed at minimizing the social and economic effects of severe hypoglycemia.
-
Expert Rev Pharmacoecon Outcomes Res · Oct 2010
ReviewPriority setting in healthcare: towards guidelines for the program budgeting and marginal analysis framework.
Economists' approaches to priority setting focus on the principles of opportunity cost, marginal analysis and choice under scarcity. These approaches are based on the premise that it is possible to design a rational priority setting system that will produce legitimate changes in resource allocation. However, beyond issuing guidance at the national level, economic approaches to priority setting have had only a moderate impact in practice. ⋯ The purpose of this article is to describe and discuss ten evidence-based guidelines for the successful design and implementation of a program budgeting and marginal analysis (PBMA) priority setting exercise. PBMA is a framework that explicitly recognizes the need to balance pragmatic and ethical considerations with economic rationality when making resource allocation decisions. While the ten guidelines are drawn from the PBMA framework, they may be generalized across a range of economic approaches to priority setting.
-
Expert Rev Pharmacoecon Outcomes Res · Aug 2010
ReviewPatient-reported outcomes in support of oncology product labeling claims: regulatory context and challenges.
The US FDA has advocated the patient-reported outcome (PRO) draft guidance as the main vehicle for evaluating PRO-based labeling claims for oncology drugs. In addition, FDA-affiliated researchers have identified factors inhibiting acceptance of health-related quality of life (HRQoL)-based claims for oncology product labels. The views of the FDA on PRO claims are extensive and prescriptive. ⋯ A reflective paper released in 2005 offered only broad recommendations on HRQoL labeling claims. The different approaches between the two regulatory agencies partly stem from underlying, divergent organizational characteristics. Moreover, general issues inherent in PRO research in oncology trials including trial design, missing data, multiplicity of end points and inconsistent findings of HRQoL data are discussed.