The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) responds to requests by the Department of Health for guidance on the use of selected new and established technologies in the National Health Service (NHS) in England and Wales. This paper asks whether the NICE methodological guidelines help...

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a prevalent condition associated with pain, joint destruction and morbidity. Direct healthcare costs are 2 to 3 times higher than average costs for individuals of similar age and gender. Furthermore, utilisation and costs rise with age and disease duration. Managed...

Objective: To estimate, from the hospital perspective in Germany, the cost effectiveness of the low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) subcutaneous enoxaparin sodium 40mg once daily (ENOX) relative to no pharmacological prophylaxis (NPP) and relative to subcutaneous unfractionated heparin (UFH)...

Assessment of health-related quality of life (HR-QOL) in people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has become important in health research and can inform clinical care. Many studies have found sociodemographic differences in the HR-QOL of people with RA, and interpreting these differences can be...

The role of economic evaluation in the efficient allocation of healthcare resources has been widely debated. Whilst economic evidence is undoubtedly useful to purchasers, it does not address the issue of affordability which is an increasing concern. Healthcare purchasers are concerned not just...

Background: QOL improvements, which can in many cases reflect the overall effect of a health intervention, are frequently measured. It would therefore be useful to define the monetary value of QOL improvements in order to subsequently estimate the value of a given intervention on the basis of...

Objective: To assess consumer preference for two methods of induction of labour using stated preference discrete choice modelling. The methods of induction were artificial rupture of the membranes (ARM) plus oxytocin and dinoprostone (prostaglandin E2) vaginal gel, followed by oxytocin if...

Atorvastatin is a lipid-lowering agent that has been evaluated in a number of primary and secondary intervention studies. In the primary prevention trials ASCOT-LLA and CARDS, atorvastatin 10 mg/day significantly reduced cardiovascular events compared with placebo. A prospectively conducted...

Background: Potential differences in toxicity, potency and acquisition price among the liposomal amphotericin B formulations makes it unclear which agent is less costly when total resource consumption and treatment-associated costs are considered. Design: A retrospective cost-minimisation...