Applied health economics and health policy
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Appl Health Econ Health Policy · Oct 2014
Review Meta AnalysisE-vita open plus for treating complex aneurysms and dissections of the thoracic aorta: a NICE medical technology guidance.
The E-vita open plus is a one-stage endoluminal stent graft system used for treating complex aneurysms and dissections of the thoracic aorta. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), as a part of its Medical Technologies Evaluation Programme (MTEP), selected this device for evaluation and invited the manufacturer, JOTEC GmbH, to submit clinical and economic evidence. King's Technology Evaluation Centre (KiTEC), an External Assessment Centre (EAC) commissioned by the NICE, independently critiqued the manufacturer's submissions. ⋯ The EAC developed a new economic model incorporating data on complications along with their long-term costs. The revised model indicated that the E-vita open plus might not provide cost savings when compared with some of the comparators in the short-term (1 year), but would have high cost savings in the long-term, from the second year onwards. The NICE Medical Technologies Guidance MTG 16, issued in December 2013, recommended the adoption of the E-vita open plus in selected patients within the National Health Service in England.
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Appl Health Econ Health Policy · Oct 2014
Comparative StudyThe impact on health outcomes and healthcare utilisation of switching to generic medicines consequent to reference pricing: the case of lamotrigine in New Zealand.
Many countries have implemented generic reference pricing and substitution as methods of containing pharmaceutical expenditure. However, resistance to switching between medicines is apparent, especially in the case of anti-epileptic medicines. ⋯ Switching from brand to generic lamotrigine is largely devoid of adverse health outcomes; however, creating an incentive to ensure a greater proportion of patients switch to generic lamotrigine is required to achieve maximal financial savings from a policy of generic reference pricing.