Asian healthcare systems are very diverse, representing cultures, political systems and economies from more than 30 countries with varying histories. Despite the diversity in the region, there has been enormous growth in health economics and outcomes research since the beginning of the 21st...

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death and the leading source of healthcare expenditure in the US and most other industrialised countries. Cholesterol lowering by pharmacological means prevents atherosclerotic plaque progression and has been shown to reduce both fatal and nonfatal...

Background: Limited information exists on the best way to organise stroke rehabilitation after hospital discharge and the relative costs of such services. Objective: To review the evidence of the cost effectiveness of services that accelerate hospital discharge and provide home-based...

Objective: To determine what benefits to the employer and to society are associated with influenza (flu) vaccination in healthy adults. Design and methods: We performed a literature review concerning cost-benefit and cost-effectiveness evaluations of influenza vaccination in healthy, working-age...

Objective: The objective of the study was to compute a cost-effectiveness ratio relating the economic cost of trandolapril to the number of effectiveness units (i.e. life-years) gained. Design and Setting: The trandolapril cardiac evaluation (TRACE) study was a prospective placebo-controlled...

Background: Although various prescription drugs may be equally effective in promoting sleep, some may lead to substantial impairment in psychomotor functioning and an increased risk of motor vehicle accidents. Objective: To develop a general model to evaluate the potential effects of sleep...

This 9-month pragmatic study compared 2 therapeutic regimens in the management of osteoarthritis of the hip and knee. Patients received either diacerein 100 mg/day plus standard osteoarthritic therapy for 6 months, followed by a 3-month monitoring period without diacerein, or standard therapy...

Objective: To estimate the willingness to pay for a new chemotherapy, raltitrexed (Tomudex(TM) ) over conventional therapy with fluorouracil plus leucovorin (FU-LV) from the perspective of patients with advanced colorectal cancer. The study was part of the product's reimbursement application in...

Advanced breast cancer has a poor prognosis (median duration of survival about 2 years); thus, treatment options are largely palliative. Recent studies with the taxoids docetaxel and paclitaxel suggest that these agents are effective second-line therapy in patients with metastatic breast cancer....