Background:Background: Little is known about the economics of acquiring and processing the more than 14 million units of red blood cells used annually in the US. Abstract: Objective:Objective: To determine the average price paid by hospitals to suppliers for a unit of red blood cells and to...

Background: Bloodstream infections (BSI) occur in up to 350 000 inpatient admissions each year in the US, with BSI rates among patients receiving parenteral nutrition (PN) varying from 1.3% to 39%. BSI-attributable costs were estimated to approximate $US12 000 per episode in 2000. While...

Background: Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) has greatly enhanced HIV management, lowering the risk of clinical disease progression and death by substantially improving HIV-induced immune deficiency. Lower CD4 cell counts have consistently been associated with higher direct costs of...

Background: Candidaemia and other forms of invasive candidiasis (C/IC) are serious and costly events for hospitalized patients, particularly those in the ICU. Both fluconazole and the echinocandins are recommended as first-line therapy for C/IC. Resource use and cost considerations are important...

Background: After the expiry of patents for originator medicines, generic medicines can enter the market, and price competition may occur. This process generates savings to the healthcare payer and to patients, but knowledge about the factors affecting price competition in the pharmaceutical...

Background:Background: Granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) reduces the risk of severe neutropenia associated with chemotherapy, but its cost implications following chemotherapy are unknown. Abstract: Objective:Objective: Our objective was to examine associations between G-CSF use and...

Background: In this study, we developed cost prediction equations that facilitate estimation of the costs of various cardiovascular events for patients of specific demographic and clinical characteristics over varying time horizons. Methods: We used administrative claims data and generalized...

Background: Given the association between CD4 cell counts and HIV-related morbidity/mortality, new antiretroviral therapies could potentially lower the direct costs of HIV care by raising CD4 cell counts. Objectives: To predict the effects of the ritonavir-boosted, HIV protease inhibitor (PI)...

The economic burden of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) came into sharp focus when the UK National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) denied coverage (later reversed) of sunitinib for metastatic RCC. In the first of two articles that provide updated reviews and analyses of the...

The global prevalence of HIV infection continues to grow, as a result of increasing incidence in some countries and improved survival where highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) is available. Growing healthcare expenditure and shifts in the types of medical resources used have created a...