Transition to secondary progressive multiple sclerosis: The consequences for patients and healthcare systems, a healthcare professional survey.

Background And Aims: Transition to secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) from relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) is an expected part of the disease trajectory for most patients. However, the transition is challenging to identify due to the gradual nature of progression, and the complications of superimposed relapses, comorbidities, and natural variability in symptoms. This healthcare professional (HCP) survey sought to characterize the transition to and management of SPMS in UK clinical practice.

When does economic model type become a decisive factor in health technology appraisals? Learning from the expanding treatment options for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis.

Objectives: Specific economic model types often become de facto standard for health technology appraisal over time. Markov and discrete event simulation (DES) models were compared to investigate the impact of innovative modeling on the cost-effectiveness of disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). Fingolimod was compared to dimethyl fumarate (DMF; in highly active [HA] RRMS), alemtuzumab (in HA RRMS) and natalizumab (in rapidly evolving severe RRMS).

A Systematic Review of Insulin Adherence Measures in Patients with Diabetes.

Background: Diabetes care is associated with a considerable burden to the health care system in the United States, and measuring the quality of health care is an important development goal of the Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Diabetes is a priority disease within the National Quality Strategy and should therefore remain a focus in the measurement of health care quality. Despite the importance of measuring quality in diabetes care management, no quality measure is currently associated with adherence to insulin treatment, and measuring adherence to insulin is known to be complicated.

Second-line single-agent chemotherapy in human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative metastatic breast cancer: A systematic review.

Background: No 'gold standard' exists for single-agent chemotherapy of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative (HER2-negative) metastatic breast cancer (MBC) in the second-line. The objective of this systematic review is to identify and appraise overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), time to progression (TTP) and Grade ≥3 adverse event evidence for single-agent chemotherapy in this setting.

Methods: MEDLINE, Embase and the Cochrane Library were searched to October 2013, and PubMed October 2013 to November 2014.