PharmacoEconomics
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Unit costs of inpatient hospital days.
Costs of inpatient days in hospitals are frequently the main drivers of total treatment costs, and their unit cost can markedly affect the outcomes of an economic evaluation. In many countries, the availability of unit cost data is limited and unit costs are often based on data from hospitals participating in clinical trials. ⋯ The results of this study were used to develop standard costs for inpatient days in The Netherlands and may contribute to the comparability and generalisability of economic evaluations.
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Review Comparative Study
Cystic fibrosis: cost of illness and considerations for the economic evaluation of potential therapies.
Cystic fibrosis (CF) is the most common life-shortening inherited disease of the Caucasian race, with a prevalence of around 1 in 2500 live births. Advances in the treatment and management of respiratory and pancreatic disorders have dramatically increased the life expectancy of patients with CF. This article presents an overview of cost-of-illness studies of CF, identifies deficits in the available health economic analyses of CF and discusses which specific factors are essential for the economic evaluation of potential therapies, based on a critical review of the health economic literature on two main therapeutic strategies. ⋯ The observation period must be long enough to identify long-term effects of interventions. A greater number of effectiveness studies should be performed to determine costs and outcomes of therapies applied under everyday life conditions for patients with CF. Finally, international comparison studies should identify the influence of different healthcare systems on the costs and outcomes of interventions.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study Clinical Trial
An economic analysis of the Atorvastatin Comparative Cholesterol Efficacy and Safety Study (ACCESS).
The objective of the Atorvastatin Comparative Cholesterol Efficacy and Safety Study (ACCESS) was to compare the efficacy and safety of the five 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitors in a randomised, controlled, yet large-scale study. ACCESS also produced data that permitted comparative analysis of the cost to achieve National Cholesterol Education Panel (NCEP) II low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) targets. ⋯ Compared with the other statins studied, atorvastatin was associated with the lowest resource use and costs when used to treat patients to their NCEP II LDL-C targets. Atorvastatin was also associated with the highest percentage of patients achieving their desired clinical outcomes. Therefore, in cost-effectiveness terms, it dominated the four other statins.
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Review Comparative Study
Screening, prevention and socioeconomic costs associated with the treatment of colorectal cancer.
Colorectal cancer (CRC), the third most prevalent cancer worldwide, imposes a significant economic and humanistic burden on patients and society. One study conservatively estimated the annual expenditures for colorectal cancer to be approximately dollars US 5.3 billion in 2000, including both direct and indirect costs. However, other investigators estimated inpatient costs alone incurred in the US in 1994 to be around dollars US 5.14 billion. ⋯ Patients' comfort and satisfaction are essential in improving compliance with screening recommendations, which appears to be low even in the US (35% of the general population aged over 40 years and 60% of the high-risk population), the country with the highest awareness and compliance in the world. Since colorectal cancer is generally a disease of the elderly, its economic burden is expected to grow in the near future, mainly due to population aging. Potential avenues to pursue in order to contain or reduce the economic burden of colorectal cancer would be the design and implementation of efficient screening programmes, the improvement of patient awareness and compliance with screening guidelines, the development of appropriate prevention programs (i.e. primary and secondary), and earlier diagnosis.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Cost effectiveness and cost utility of acetylcysteine versus dimethyl sulfoxide for reflex sympathetic dystrophy.
To determine the cost effectiveness and cost utility of acetylcysteine versus dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) for patients with reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD), from a societal viewpoint. ⋯ In general, DMSO is the preferred treatment for patients with RSD.