Learning objectives
Knowledge and understanding: at the end of the course the student will be able to understand the theoretical foundations of health economic evaluations, in particular cost-effectiveness, cost-utility, cost benefit, cost minimization, budget impact.
Knowledge and applied understanding: students will be able to correctly apply the main techniques of economic analysis in the field of biopharmaceuticals.
Autonomy of judgment: students will be able to critically analyze published pharmacoeconomic studies.
Communication skills: students are expected to be able to appropriately describe the research and development path of new medicines and healthcare technologies, including the market access phase, as well as to argue about the value of medicines or other health technologies on the basis of their economic evidence.
Ability to learn: Students will be able to apply the logical approach and rationale of drug-economic analysis in other healthcare assessment areas
Prerequisites
None
Course unit content
Introduction to Health Economics. The Demand for Health. Health expenditure: composition, evolution and financing mechanisms. Main health care system models. Research, innovation and the price of drugs. Health technology assessment., Role of health economic analysis in drug evaluation, main methodologies: cost-effectiveness, cost-utility, cost-benefit. Modelling in economic assessments and management of uncertainty. Categories of outcomes and costs in healthcare. Critical review of a pharmaco economic publication. Clinical trials; randomized controlled trials, observational studies and real-life studies. Elements of statistical analysis of clinical studies. Drug access models and reimbursement mechanisms
Full programme
• Why the economic evaluation of drugs
• The demand for Health - different perspectives of health care systems
• Health expenditure trends and trends for the future.
• Characteristics of the pharmaceutical market, policies and regulation.
• Research and development in pharmaceutical companies, innovation and the price of medicines.
• Health Technology Assessment
• Types of costs in Health economics.
• Main techniques of economic evaluation in health
• Cost effectiveness analysis
• Cost- utility analysis
• ICER and QALY
• Other economic drug analysis: cost minimization, cost benefit analysis
• Budget impact assessments.
• Modelling in health economics and uncertainty management.
• Interventional and observational clinical studies and data collection for economic evaluations.
• Research and critical evaluation of evidence in the literature.
• The path of authorization and access to the drug
• Introduction to drug reimbursement.
Bibliography
Drummond, O'Brien, Stoddart, Torrance. Methods for the Economic Evaluation of Health Care Programmes (2015) Oxford Medical Publications
Teaching methods
Oral frontal Lessons and Exercises
Assessment methods and criteria
The achievement of the course objectives is assessed through a written test structured in 16 multiple choice questions. The results are expressed in a 0-30 scale. Each question allows acquisition of 2/30 points in case of a correct answer, whereas a wrong or not given answer brings 0/30 points; achieving 15 correct answers corresponds to a final score of 30/30, 16 correct answers out of 16 corresponds to 30/30 cum laude.
In case of unfeasibility to carry out profit tests in presence, they will be performed remotely sharing examination questionnaires on MS Teams platform in compliance with the procedures described in the specific guide (http://selma.unipr.it). The results of the exam are published within 3 days on ESSE3 portal. Students may access test results in accordance with the teacher
Other information
The teacher is available for contacts via video call on MS Teams after agreeing time by e-mail (a.madoni@icloud.com)
