Evaluating the affordability of asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and cystic fibrosis medicines in a middle-income country.

Background: A heavy financial burden is imposed on patients suffering from chronic diseases due to medicine out-of-pocket payments.

Objectives: This study focuses on assessing the affordability of medications used for chronic respiratory diseases (CRDs) such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and cystic fibrosis (CF) in Iran, specifically on the category R medicines listed in the 2017 Iran drug list (IDL) that are used for the treatment of these diseases, based on the anatomical therapeutic chemical (ATC) drug code.

Methods: The affordability of medicines in mono and combination therapy approaches was assessed in CRDs using the World Health Organization/Health Action International (WHO/HAI) methodology.

Exploring health seeking behaviors for common cold management.

Background: The prevalence of common cold can impose financial burden on the healthcare systems, despite its simple and self-limiting symptoms.

Objective: This study examines the behavior of patients suffering from symptoms of the common cold and explores the factors that may influence such behaviors.

Methods: A descriptive-analytic cross-sectional study was conducted in 2019, in Tehran, Iran, using cluster sampling in socioeconomically diverse areas within the city.

How does external reference pricing work in developing countries: evidence from Iran.

Governments apply different pricing policies to ensure public accessibility, availability, and affordability of medicines. In this way, external reference pricing (ERP) because of its easy implementation is used widely across countries. However, ERP is completely path dependent, and it would both bring pros and cons, related to its implementing strategy which makes understanding of its impact in different countries challenging.

Main drivers of diabetes pharmaceuticals expenditures: evidence from OECD countries and Iran.

Purpose: This study aimed to identify the impact of prominent drivers on drug expenditure for diabetes.

Method: Following the examination of previous studies, this study identified possible factors contributing to diabetes pharmaceutical expenditures. The explanatory variables for the study were the median population age, access to innovative drugs, GDP per capita, prevalence, price, and consumption of diabetes drugs.

A Cost-effectiveness Analysis of Adding Cetuximab to the First-line Treatment of Metastatic Colorectal Carcinoma in Iran; Considering Genetic Screening for Precision Medicine.

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of cetuximab in different genetic populations of metastatic colorectal carcinoma patients, including KRAS and RAS wild types and mutants, when added to FOLFIRI treatment regimens for evidence-based disease management in Iran.

Method: A Markov decision model was designed in TreeAge software with the three states of stable, progress, and death. Clinical outcomes were extracted from published clinical studies, and costs were extracted from the Iranian local data.

Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Macitentan in Comparison With Bosentan in the Treatment of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension in Iran.

Objectives: Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a chronic and progressive disease that, if left untreated, shortens the life expectancy of patients. Endothelin receptor antagonists, such as macitentan and bosentan, play an essential role in improving the patient's symptoms, quality of life, and life expectancy. This study aimed to evaluate the cost-utility of macitentan compared with bosentan in treating PAH from the health system perspective in Iran.

Catastrophic pharmaceutical expenditure in patients with type 2 diabetes in Iran.

Objectives: This study aimed to assess the financial burden of out-of-pocket (OOP) payments to purchase antidiabetic medicines for type 2 patients in Iran.

Method: The "budget share" and "capacity to pay" approaches were employed to assess the catastrophic pharmaceutical expenditures of antidiabetic medication therapies. The catastrophic thresholds were adjusted for pharmaceutical sectors.

The cost of dispensing errors in Iranian health system: a retrospective evaluation.

Objective: The problem of medication errors (MEs) has constantly been receiving considerable attention worldwide due to their health impact and costly consequences. MEs occur in all phases of prescription, preparation, administration, distribution and delivery to the patient; however, dispensing errors are more common in this study, we have attempted to identify various MEs that occurred by pharmacists and calculate their financial and physical harm costs.

Design: This was a 8-year retrospective study.

How Do Iranian Stakeholders Think About Pharmaceutical Managed Entry Agreements?

Background: Uncertainty in real-world product profiles is the main barrier to pharmaceutical market access. Managed entry agreements (MEAs) are the formal arrangements to overcome these uncertainties. Despite the extensive experience of developed countries in implementing such agreements, the experience of developing countries is minimal.

An investigation into the pharmaceutical advertising in Iranian medical journals.

Background: Pharmaceutical advertising is not only considered a key factor in the successful launch of pharmaceutical products, but is also an important source of public health information with a significant impact on consumer choice and behavior. Nowadays, advertising has become the broadest dissemination channel for various products, including medicines, which may ultimately lead to the generalization of self-treatment or mistreatment. Improper drug promotion can exacerbate unhealthy outcomes by making false or misleading claims, using inferior references, and failing to meet international standards.

The Effect of Organizational Resilience and Strategic Foresight on Firm Performance: Competitive Advantage as Mediating Variable.

The pharmaceutical industry's performance in the global economy has been affected by the growing competition associated with globalization, economic liberalization, and the trade-related aspect of the intellectual property rights (TRIPS) agreement. To maintain performance, organizations need to consider strategic foresight (SF) and organizational resilience (OR) to anticipate future trends and survive crises. By proposing a conceptual framework, this study examines the relationship between organizational resilience, strategic foresight, competitive advantage (CA), and firm performance (FP).

Impact of the Trade-Related Aspect of Intellectual Property Rights Agreement on Pharmaceutical Industry in Developing Countries: A Scoping Review.

Pharmaceutical companies in developing countries are heavily influenced by the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) agreement and economic liberalization rules. To adjust to the new patent regime, pharmaceutical companies had to adopt some strategies. A systematic review was conducted on the experiences of the pharmaceutical industry in developing countries and strategies adopted by local pharmaceutical companies to survive after the TRIPS agreement.

Investigation the determinants of pharmaceutical expenditure share of GDP in Iran and selected OECD countries.

Aim: This study estimated the GDP share of pharmaceuticals in Iran based on the drivers of pharmaceutical expenditure and compared it with that of 31 members of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

Subject And Methods: The factors contributing to pharmaceutical expenditure were identified through literature review and studied by 8 experts to classify the factors. Then, using the panel data method, a model was built to estimate the GDP share of pharmaceutical expenditure based on the extracted factors of the selected countries in Iran's model.

How Much Iranian Parents Know of and How Well They Practice Regarding Antibiotics?

Irrational use of antibiotics as a global health concern has led to excessive treatment costs, failure of treatments, and antimicrobial resistance. Parents' knowledge of and practice regarding antibiotics are two important factors contributing to the (ir) rational use of antibiotics. This study aimed to evaluate ill children's parents' knowledge and practice of prescribed antibiotics.

Simultaneous Analysis of 10 Priority PAHs in Iranian Sangak Bread Samples by Developing a GC-MS Method.

Human exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) is known as a carcinogen risk factor. In this study, a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) technique combined with the QuEChERS extraction method was developed for concurrent analysis of 10 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Iranian traditional Sangak bread samples. The method was validated by determining different parameters, including; linearity, accuracy, precision, limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantitation (LOQ).

Assessing the Performance of Community Pharmacies in Iran by Measuring Responsiveness to Non-Medical Needs: An Application of WHO Responsiveness Framework.

Objective: Despite growing debates about the health systems' nonmedical performance, there has not been any empirical research on nonmedical performance and patients' rights consideration as a driver of human rights in the pharmaceutical sector. This study's main objective was to assess the nonmedical performance of community pharmacies of Shiraz, Iran.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using two self-administrated Likert-based questionnaires based on the World Health Organization (WHO) responsiveness framework and the legal charter communicated by the Ministry of Health and Medical Education of Iran.

Public and decision-maker stated preferences for pharmaceutical subsidy decisions in Iran: an application of the discrete choice experiment.

Background: The argument about funding criteria poses challenges for health decision-makers in all countries. This study aimed to investigate the public and decision-maker preferences for pharmaceutical subsidy decisions in Iran.

Methods: A discrete choice experiment (DCE) was used for eliciting the preferences of the public and decision-makers.

Development of A Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry Technique for Evaluation of Multi-class Pesticides in Rice Samples.

In the current study, a liquid chromatography coupled mass detector was set up to detect and quantify 108 pesticide residues in rice samples. QuEChERS method was applied for sample preparation and different validation parameters were determined to ensure the suitability of the method. The calibration curves were linear in the concentration 0.

Irrational use of antibiotics in Iran from the perspective of complex adaptive systems: redefining the challenge.

Background: Irrational use of antibiotics is proving to be a major concern to the health systems globally. This results in antibiotics resistance and increases health care costs. In Iran, despite many years of research, appreciable efforts, and policymaking to avoid irrational use of antibiotics, yet indicators show suboptimal use of antibiotics, pointing to an urgent need for adopting alternative approaches to further understand the problem and to offer new solutions.

An application of multi-criteria decision-making approach to sustainable drug shortages management: evidence from a developing country.

Background: Drug shortage is a significant public health problem, especially for drugs related to life threatening conditions. Almost all countries affected by variety of supply problems and spent a considerable amount of time and resources responding to shortage. The aim of present study is to determine and prioritize strategies to achieve best solutions for these considerable healthcare system challenges and to evaluate this strategies base on practical criteria.

Cost-effectiveness analysis of tofacitinib compared with adalimumab and etanercept in the treatment of severe active rheumatoid arthritis; Iranian experience.

Background And Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the cost-utility of Tofacitinib (TFC) in patients with severe rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who had not responded well to methotrexate from the Iranian payer's perspective.

Methods: An individual microsimulation Markov model was developed to compare TFC with etanercept (ETN) and Adalimumab (ADA) over a life-time horizon. Treatment efficacy was estimated based on the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) response improvement criteria in 6 months.

Attributes Development for Pharmaceutical Subsidization: A Qualitative Study.

Discrete choice experiments (DCES) as a stated preference method have used increasingly to determine preferences attached to some attributes associated to health. Although, the validity of this type of studies comprehensively depends on the appropriate determination of attributes and attribute-levels for DCES, there is little rigorous evidence regarding which factors or attributes and attribute- levels should be counted for eliciting public preferences in health resource allocation. This paper responds to such question by carefully doing a qualitative study.

Evaluating Pharmacist's Patient Care Process in Shiraz, using a newly-validated questionnaire: The First Report from Iran.

Background: The Pharmacists' Patient Care Process (PPCP) as one of many inter-related foundations for the delivery of evidence-based and outcomes-focused patient care has a positive trend in academic literatures in the world. Unfortunately, PPCP has not been establish well in community pharmacies in Iran, yet. This study was performed to explore the current status of the provision and perception toward patient care services and finally evaluate professional competency of pharmacists about PPCP implementation, in both patients and pharmacist's perspectives.

Evaluation of efficiency enhancement in Iran Health Insurance Organization: a policy brief for pharmaceutical cost containment.

Background: Rapid increasing pharmaceutical spending on the one hand and limited budgets on the other hand are problems confronting health expenditure. Policymakers have realized that without the negative effect on quality of care, they can control pharmaceutical spending.

Methods: The study methodology involved a targeted review of the literature on cost containment policies, their implementation issues, advantages, and disadvantages.

An application of analytic network process model in supporting decision making to address pharmaceutical shortage.

Background: The present study aimed to develop an Analytic Network Process (ANP) model to assist policymakers in identifying and prioritizing allocation indicators, which are being used or should be used to distribute drugs in short supply among different provinces.

Methods: The model encompasses the interactions between various indicators and efficiency, equity, and effectiveness paradigms. Accordingly, a set of clusters and elements, which were associated with the allocation of drugs in short supply in Iran's pharmaceutical system, were detected to develop the model and were then compared in pairs in terms of a specified factor to show the priorities.