Economic analysis has become increasingly important in healthcare in general, and particularly with respect to pharmaceuticals. Therefore, it is vital that the methods used in such evaluations are carefully scrutinised and refined. However, guidelines contain only a limited number of...

Objective: To improve the quality of the methods used in Markov modelling studies by increasing the external validity by means of the incorporation of confounding variables. Study design: The concepts were illustrated using a hypothetical Markov model for Parkinson's disease. Methods: The...

While the EuroQOL instrument (EQ-5D) is being considered and used in clinical trials in the United States and Canada, and in large international multicentre studies, population weights for the instrument have never been established in North America. The primary purpose of this investigation was...

There is increasing use of economic evaluation to support decision-makers in health services for allocation of scarce healthcare resources. However, information necessary for economic evaluations cannot always be derived from well-conducted prospective clinical studies, and decision-analytical...

This article presents the first version of the reporting format for economic valuation that was created in 1995 by a multidisciplinary taskforce. The members of this taskforce come from a broad spectrum of backgrounds within the healthcare field and participated in the exercise voluntarily. The...

With the advent of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), HIV-infected patients are living longer and are concerned not only with a treatment's ability to extend their life but also with the quality of the life they are able to lead. Regulatory authorities are also paying closer attention...