The current divisions in managing prescribing between primary and secondary care in the UK arise from separate budgetary arrangements. These divisions are neither sensible, organisationally efficient nor cost effective. Transition of patients across the interface of primary and secondary care...

In pharmacoeconomic research sponsored by companies, there is an obvious tension between the desire to undertake studies to show a marketing advantage and the desire to adhere to good scientific principles. This tension was explored in an early issue of PharmacoEconomics and is now revisited 5...

Background:Background: The benefit of unfractionated heparin (UFH) added to aspirin in patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS) was described more than 20 years ago. Ever since, a wide variety of anticoagulant drugs have become available for clinical use, including low-molecular-weight...

Rufinamide (Inovelon), a triazole derivative, is an oral antiepileptic drug approved in the EU as adjunctive therapy in the treatment of seizures associated with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS) in patients aged ≥4 years. The efficacy of oral rufinamide as adjunctive therapy in patients with LGS...

Background:Background: In the Netherlands, decisions about the reimbursement of new pharmaceuticals are based on cost effectiveness, as well as therapeutic value and budget impact. Since 1 January 2005, drug manufacturers are formally required to substantiate the cost effectiveness of drugs that...

Depression is the most common mental health disorder and is recognized as a chronic disease characterized by multiple acute episodes/relapses. Although modelling techniques play an increasingly important role in the economic evaluation of depression interventions, comparatively little attention...

This article briefly summarizes the burden of bipolar disorder and the clinical profile of quetiapine (Seroquel) in the management of bipolar disorder, followed by a detailed review of pharmacoeconomic analyses. Quetiapine is an atypical antipsychotic that is available in numerous countries as...

Background:Background: We evaluated national rotavirus (RV) immunization programme costs to estimate how resulting changes in morbidity and mortality will influence government fiscal accounts over time. The assumption was that increased childhood survival in vaccinated cohorts leads to increased...