Journal of oncology pharmacy practice : official publication of the International Society of Oncology Pharmacy Practitioners
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J Oncol Pharm Pract · Mar 2012
A pharmacoeconomic modeling approach to estimate a value-based price for new oncology drugs in Europe.
Several European governments have recently mandated price cuts in drugs to reduce health care spending. However, such measures without supportive evidence may compromise patient care because manufacturers may withdraw current products or not launch new agents. A value-based pricing scheme may be a better approach for determining a fair drug price and may be a medium for negotiations between the key stakeholders. To demonstrate this approach, pharmacoeconomic (PE) modeling was used from the Spanish health care system perspective to estimate a value-based price for bevacizumab, a drug that provides a 1.4-month survival benefit to patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). The threshold used for economic value was three times the Spanish per capita GDP, as recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). ⋯ This study demonstrated that a value-based pricing approach using PE modeling and the WHO criteria for economic value is feasible and perhaps a better alternative to government mandated price cuts. The former approach would be a good starting point for opening dialog between European government payers and the pharmaceutical industry.
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J Oncol Pharm Pract · Mar 2012
Optimizing pain relief in a specialized outpatient palliative radiotherapy clinic: contributions of a clinical pharmacist.
Bone metastases are the most common cause of cancer pain, with palliative radiotherapy (RT) the mainstay of treatment. However, relief from RT may be delayed, incomplete, or short-lived and therefore optimized pharmacologic therapy is essential. Our objective was to describe the contribution of the clinical pharmacist (CP) to an outpatient palliative RT clinic. ⋯ The CP plays a key role in holistic patient assessment and optimization of pharmacologic therapy, contributing to improved symptom control of patients receiving palliative RT.