PharmacoEconomics & Outcomes News 309 - 21 Apr 2001

Economic models get the thumbsup for drug formulary acceptancePharmacoeconomic models based on claims data and

real-time pharmacoeconomic models have advantagesfor pharmaceutical companies wishing to position theirproducts on drug formularies, delegates heard at therecent US conference of the Institute for InternationalResearch,* according to the Pink Sheet.1, 2

Claims-based models efficientJim Smeeder from the University of Texas, US, told

delegates that claims data are the best sort of data to usewhen performing the modelling required for formularyacceptance.1 Unlike ‘piggyback’ evaluationsincorporated in randomised controlled studies withclinical endpoints, claims-based economic modellingstudies offer methodological flexibility in terms of groupselection and timeframe, according to Smeeder.Moreover, because claims data analyses are performedretrospectively, ethical randomisation issues areavoided, and design and sensitivity analyses are easier.Claims-based economic modelling studies also involveless time and fewer expenses than ‘piggyback’evaluations, said Smeeder.

Randomised controlled trials suffer from inherentbias, small patient populations and limitedlongitudinality, noted Smeeder. Such trials alsointroduce artificial healthcare processes, added DrDavid Thompson of Innovus US.

‘The nice thing about retrospective database analyses isthat within a fairly short period of time, and at a fairlymodest cost, you can access the healthcare records ofliterally thousands of patients who have the conditionyou are interested in’, said Dr Thompson.

Real-time models the way of the futureDr Thompson went on to say that pharmaceutical

company field representatives have started using real-time economic models to demonstratepharmacoeconomic data to formulary committeemembers.2 Such models allow user-specific details –such as health plan characteristics and product-associated costs – to be entered into a generalframework so that the outcomes have immediaterelevance to the end user.

Real-time models represent the next evolutionary stepin the field of pharmacoeconomics, according to DrThompson. ‘Trickle down pharmacoeconomics’, whichassumes that published pharmacoeconomics dataeventually finds its way to the end user, ‘is out of favour’,he said.* The conference was held in March in Philadelphia, US.

1. Claims data may be best for formulary-directed pharmacoeconomic models.FDC Reports - Pink Sheet - Prescription Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology 63:24, 2 Apr 2001.

2. Formulary-tailored pharmacoeconomic models being used by Rx sales reps.FDC Reports - Pink Sheet - Prescription Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology 63:25, 2 Apr 2001.

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PharmacoEconomics & Outcomes News 21 Apr 2001 No. 3091173-5503/10/0309-0001/$14.95 Adis © 2010 Springer International Publishing AG. All rights reserved