Case studies of health economic analyses informing pharmaceutical health technology assessments for essential medicine selection and public-sector guidelines in South Africa.

Background: Constrained resources under universal health coverage (UHC) necessitate a balance between medication costs and essential health system requirements. Policymakers practice priority-setting, as either implicit or explicit rationing, embedded in evidence-informed decision-making processes to guide funding decisions. Health technology assessment (HTA) is a method that may assist explicit evidence-informed priority setting.

Cost-Effectiveness of Docetaxel and Paclitaxel for Adjuvant Treatment of Early Breast Cancer: Adaptation of a Model-Based Economic Evaluation From the United Kingdom to South Africa.

Objectives: Transferability of economic evaluations to low- and middle-income countries through adaptation of models is important; however, several methodological and practical challenges remain. Given its significant costs and the quality-of-life burden to patients, adjuvant treatment of early breast cancer was identified as a priority intervention by the South African National Department of Health. This study assessed the cost-effectiveness of docetaxel and paclitaxel-containing chemotherapy regimens (taxanes) compared with standard (non-taxane) treatments.