The availability of the Diagnosis Related Group (DRG) system for determining hospital costs in some European countries has encouraged its use in pharmacoeconomic evaluations. The DRG system was developed in the US to provide data for prospective payments for hospitals. However, the financing of...

Total non-medical costs associated with visual impairment are considerable. The present analysis demonstrates that the preponderant economic consequences of visual impairment lie beyond healthcare systems, and that visual impairment has a considerable negative impact on productivity. Considering...

Objective: Physicians need reliable, valid and sensitive questionnaires to assess QOL related to glaucoma or ocular hypertension. This article presents the psychometric properties of the French version of the National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire - 25 (NEI VFQ-25). Methods: A mail...

Background: Endophthalmitis is a severe condition that requires hospitalization with at least day care. Information on the incidence rate, costs and consequences of endophthalmitis is scarce. Objective: To estimate the number of patients with endophthalmitis hospitalized in France, as well as...

Objective: To assess the cost effectiveness of emedastine, a new antihistamine, versus levocabastine in the treatment of acute allergic conjunctivitis (AAC) in Belgium, France, Germany, The Netherlands, Norway, Portugal and Sweden. Design and setting: Randomised double-blind multicountry...

Introduction: Visual impairment is a severe disability that puts a heavy burden on individuals, families and society. In developed countries, the two major diseases leading to irreversible visual impairment are glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration. Their prevalence will increase...

Objective: Cost is an issue when prescribing two drugs with equivalent efficacy. We compared the direct medical costs of topical brinzolamide 1% (twice a day or three times daily) with topical dorzolamide 2% (twice a day or three times daily) in France, Italy, Portugal and Spain in patients with...

Objective: Recurrent infectious rhinitis (RIR) is a frequent disease among adults and constitutes an economic burden for National Sickness Funds (NSF) that might be prevented by immunostimulant therapy. Cost effectiveness of preventive methods should be documented. The aim of this study was to...

TPR seems a cost-effective alternative to PR in TN patients and dominant in TE patients. TPR was a dominant, more effective and less costly alternative to BPR in both patient types. The cost effectiveness of both TPR and BPR is well below generally accepted willingness-to-pay thresholds and may...