PharmacoEconomics
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Comparative Study
Post-exposure influenza prophylaxis with oseltamivir: cost effectiveness and cost utility in families in the UK.
To assess the cost effectiveness and cost utility of preventing post-exposure influenza infection using the neuraminidase inhibitor oseltamivir from a healthcare payer's perspective in the UK. ⋯ PEP with oseltamivir is likely to be a cost-effective strategy for family contacts in the UK from a healthcare payer perspective when influenza-like illness contact attack rates are 8% or higher and the only treatment given is 'usual care'.
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Health-related quality of life (HR-QOL) is an important outcome in the treatment of chronic childhood diseases such as asthma. However, this measure is rarely used in young children in Asia because of the difficulty of obtaining valid, reliable instruments that are developmentally and culturally suitable. ⋯ The children and parents/caregivers in this study found CAQ-B to be a simple and acceptable questionnaire with some evidence of content validity. While two of the domains did not meet internal consistency standards expected of HR-QOL instruments for adults (Cronbach's alpha = 0.70), they were acceptable for children of this age. The patterns of correlation also suggest that parent/caregivers' perception of the severity of a young child's asthma may be a better indicator of a child's HR-QOL than clinical diagnosis of severity. However, further investigation is recommended to improve and validate the internal structure of the scale.
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The progressive decline in functional status for patients with Alzheimer's disease and other dementias (ADOD) is well documented. However, there is limited information on the economic benefits of interventions improving functional status in an ADOD population. This study estimated the relationship between the degree of functional impairment in patients with ADOD and their healthcare costs and prevalence of institutionalisation. ⋯ Although relationships between function and costs have been described previously, the exact nature of these relationships has not been investigated solely in patients with dementia. The data from this study suggest a strong relationship between functional impairment and healthcare costs, specifically in patients with dementia. Even IADL impairments, which are common in mild to moderate dementia, may significantly raise costs. The results suggest that therapies and care management that improve functioning may possibly reduce other healthcare costs.
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Low-dose aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid) is standard care in patients with a history of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The use of low-dose aspirin in primary prevention is not yet fully established, although meta-analyses and US and European guidelines support its use in people at increased risk of CVD. The primary objective of this study was to assess the economic consequences of the use of low-dose aspirin in the primary prevention of CVD in four European countries (UK, Germany, Spain and Italy). ⋯ Administering low-dose aspirin to patients with an annual risk of CHD of > or = 1% appears to be significantly cost saving from the healthcare payer's perspective in all countries analysed. Sensitivity analyses (CHD risk and bleedings) suggested the results were robust.
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To limit quickly rising prescription drug expenditures, many state Medicaid programmes have implemented preferred drug lists (PDLs) and prior authorisation (PA). Lessons from Medicaid efforts may be informative for Medicare, which started covering outpatient prescription drugs recently. ⋯ The burden of Medicaid PDLs fell greatest on physicians in disadvantaged areas and their patients.