Epilepsy is an important health problem throughout the world. In order to best manage epilepsy within a population, its epidemiological profile should be established. Epidemiological studies have shown that epilepsy is a very common, chronic condition that particularly affects the young and...

We reviewed the literature on the efficacy and effectiveness of beta-blocker therapy and examined the economic consequences of under-utilisation. Despite the literature documenting the value of beta-blockers, the therapy is not prescribed at the appropriate rates. Approximately half of acute...

This paper investigates the contribution of pharmaceutical innovation to recent longevity growth in Germany and France. The effect of the vintage of prescription drugs (and other variables) on the life expectancy and age-adjusted mortality rates of residents of Germany is examined, using...

Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the US, and an important public health concern both in the US and throughout the world. Given high incidence rates among young adults and the large number of deaths, skin cancer has the potential to result in significant years of potential life...

Objective: Recent data indicate that the combination of a low cholesterol diet and simvastatin following heart transplantation is associated with significant reduction of serum cholesterol levels, lower incidence of graft vessel disease (GVD) and significantly superior 4-year survival rates than...

Adverse drug events occur frequently and lead to a significant number of fatalities each year. It has been estimated that fatalities directly attributable to adverse drug reactions are the fourth to sixth leading cause of death in US hospitals, exceeding deaths caused by pneumonia and diabetes....

Objective: Data from the Acute Infarction Ramipril Efficacy (AIRE) study were used in a cost-effectiveness analysis to determine the incremental cost per life-year gained (LYG) when the ACE inhibitor ramipril was added to conventional treatment in patients with heart failure after acute...

Objective: To simulate the treatment of postmenopausal women with advanced breast cancer from second-line hormone therapy to death, and to generate estimates of the cost and effectiveness of letrozole and megestrol in order to determine the incremental cost effectiveness of letrozole, expressed...

Objective: We constructed a UK-based decision model of palliative care for terminally ill cancer patients who were switched from a weak to a strong opioid so that the expected direct healthcare costs in the UK could be estimated from the time a patient commenced a strong opioid until death....

Background: Spending on medical care for patients in their last year of life accounts for over one-quarter of US Medicare programme outlays. While the magnitude of spending on end-of-life care is striking, it is difficult to determine if expenditures are wasteful or simply reflect the inherent...