Background: Implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) therapy was traditionally applied in patients who survived a cardiac arrest or who experienced a symptomatic ventricular tachyarrhythmia. Its use in primary prevention (i.e. in patients who have yet to experience a serious arrhythmic...

This article aims to examine barriers to the efficient use of resources relating to medical devices, by focusing specifically on an economic analysis of the market structure of medical devices and on the assessment procedures for medical devices. A desktop analysis was conducted of the health...

The literature indicates that the expenditure on orphan drugs will be increasing over the coming years. The market for orphan drugs has inherent market characteristics that sometimes result in high prices. The aim of this study was to analyse whether awarding orphan designation status has an...

Generic medicines offer equally high-quality treatment as originator medicines do at much lower prices. As such, they represent a considerable opportunity for authorities to obtain substantial savings. At the moment, the pharmaceutical landscape is changing and many pharmaceutical companies have...

An orphan disease is a disease with a very low prevalence. Although there are 5000–7000 orphan diseases, only 50 orphan drugs (i.e. drugs developed to treat orphan diseases) were marketed in the EU by the end of 2008. In 2000, the EU implemented policies specifically designed to stimulate the...

An orphan disease is a disease with a very low prevalence. Although there are 5000-7000 orphan diseases, only 50 orphan drugs (i.e. drugs developed to treat orphan diseases) were marketed in the EU by the end of 2008. In 2000, the EU implemented policies specifically designed to stimulate the...

This article aims to examine barriers to the efficient use of resources relating to medical devices, by focusing specifically on an economic analysis of the market structure of medical devices and on the assessment procedures for medical devices. A desktop analysis was conducted of the health...

This article reviews policies on physician payment methods that Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries have implemented to promote an efficient deployment of physicians. Countries