PharmacoEconomics
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The need to treat obesity successfully can be measured by the medical penalty paid by the obese individual and the financial price paid by society in general. The management of obesity has 2 objectives: first, to produce significant weight reduction (10% of pretreatment bodyweight) and, second, to maintain this weight reduction. For the purpose of this paper, we have defined successful treatment as that maintaining significant weight loss for at least 5 years. A review of the literature confirms that there is no single outstanding treatment for obesity, and that clinicians must consider an individual's needs before selecting a particular method of weight reduction. The main determinants of suitability of any specific treatment are degree of obesity, concomitant medical disorders, urgency of treatment, and the individual's willingness to undergo the programme prescribed.
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The influence of the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board in restraining the prices of patented drugs has been established over the past 6 years. Recent legislative and policy changes now in place may result in the Board assuming a more influential, public, and activist posture. This article reviews the way in which the Board carries out its mandate to ensure that patented medicines sold in Canada are not 'excessive'. The Board represents one segment of Canada's ongoing effort to balance what often appear to be irreconcilable tasks-the promotion of an increased domestic research and development investment by the pharmaceutical industry, and the control of expenditures for pharmaceuticals in response to the escalating concerns of the provincial health authorities and consumers.