Estimating Drug Costs: How do Manufacturer Net Prices Compare with Other Common US Price References?

Background: Drug costs are frequently estimated in economic analyses using wholesale acquisition cost (WAC), but what is the best approach to develop these estimates? Pharmaceutical manufacturers recently released transparency reports disclosing net price increases after accounting for rebates and other discounts.

Objective: Our objective was to determine whether manufacturer net prices (MNPs) could approximate the discounted prices observed by the U.S.

Guidance Document: Global Pharmacoeconomic Model Adaption Strategies.

Objective: The purpose of this guidance was to assist in the adaptation of pharmacoeconomic models originally developed in one country and intended for use in another. The intent was to produce user-friendly recommendations and a checklist for adapting a global model to treat a specific disease state. This guidance will allow model developers to tailor existing models so that they are "locally applicable," while maintaining the scientific integrity of the original pharmacoeconomic model and will benefit formulary decision makers and other stakeholders involved in evaluating pharmacoeconomic studies.

Cardiovascular event-free survival after adjuvant radiation therapy in breast cancer patients stratified by cardiovascular risk.

The objective of this study was to estimate the risk of a cardiovascular event or death associated with modern radiation in a population of elderly female breast cancer patients with varying baseline cardiovascular risk. The data used for this analysis are from the linked Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End-Results (SEER)-Medicare database. The retrospective cohort study included women aged 66 years and older with stage 0-III breast cancer diagnosed between 2000 and 2005.

Impact of venous thromboembolism on mortality of elderly Medicare patients with stage III colon cancer.

Background: The improvement in survival rates for patients with colon cancer has shifted the focus from examining cancer-specific mortality to exploring all-cause mortality. Adverse events such as venous thromboembolism (VTE) affect overall survival times and the net clinical benefit of cancer management strategies.

Methods: This retrospective study used Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) Medicare data to examine VTE incidence and mortality rates for elderly patients with stage III colon cancer who were diagnosed in 2004 or 2005 and followed through 2007.

Barriers to self-management of diabetes: a qualitative study among low-income minority diabetics.

Objectives: Diabetes self-management is a key element in the overall management of diabetes. Identifying barriers to disease self-management is a critical step in achieving optimal health outcomes. Our goal was to explore patients' perceptions about barriers to self-management of diabetes that could possibly help explain poor health outcomes among minority patients.

Obesity and medicare expenditure: accounting for age-related height loss.

To determine the relationship between BMI and Medicare expenditure for adults 65-years and older and determine whether this relationship changes after accounting for misclassification due to age-related height loss. Using a cross sectional study design, the relationship between BMI and fee-for-service Medicare expenditure was examined among beneficiaries who completed the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS) in 2002, were not enrolled in Medicare Health Maintenance Organization, had a self-reported height and weight, and were 65 and older (n = 7,706). Subjects were classified as underweight, normal weight, overweight, obese (obese I), and severely obese (obese II/III).

Costs and state-specific rates of thoracic and lumbar vertebroplasty, 2001-2005.

Study Design: Sequential cross-sectional analysis.

Objective: To document vertebroplasty rates and costs.

Summary Of Background Data: Little is known about interstate variation in rates or about nation-wide costs associated with the growing use of percutaneous vertebroplasty.