Assessment of methodological quality of economic evaluations in belgian drug reimbursement applications.
OBJECTIVES: This paper aims to assess the methodological quality of economic evaluations included in Belgian reimbursement applications for Class 1 drugs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: For 19 reimbursement applications submitted during 2011 and Spring 2012, a descriptive analysis assessed the methodologica...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2013-01-01
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| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC3875546?pdf=render |
| _version_ | 1828183758636843008 |
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| author | Steven Simoens |
| author_facet | Steven Simoens |
| author_sort | Steven Simoens |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | OBJECTIVES: This paper aims to assess the methodological quality of economic evaluations included in Belgian reimbursement applications for Class 1 drugs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: For 19 reimbursement applications submitted during 2011 and Spring 2012, a descriptive analysis assessed the methodological quality of the economic evaluation, evaluated the assessment of that economic evaluation by the Drug Reimbursement Committee and the response to that assessment by the company. Compliance with methodological guidelines issued by the Belgian Healthcare Knowledge Centre was assessed using a detailed checklist of 23 methodological items. The rate of compliance was calculated based on the number of economic evaluations for which the item was applicable. RESULTS: Economic evaluations tended to comply with guidelines regarding perspective, target population, subgroup analyses, comparator, use of comparative clinical data and final outcome measures, calculation of costs, incremental analysis, discounting and time horizon. However, more attention needs to be paid to the description of limitations of indirect comparisons, the choice of an appropriate analytic technique, the expression of unit costs in values for the current year, the estimation and valuation of outcomes, the presentation of results of sensitivity analyses, and testing the face validity of model inputs and outputs. Also, a large variation was observed in the scope and depth of the quality assessment by the Drug Reimbursement Committee. CONCLUSIONS: Although general guidelines exist, pharmaceutical companies and the Drug Reimbursement Committee would benefit from the existence of a more detailed checklist of methodological items that need to be reported in an economic evaluation. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-12T06:37:34Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-fc82bbba66a64788956faaa9d937fe6d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-12T06:37:34Z |
| publishDate | 2013-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj.art-fc82bbba66a64788956faaa9d937fe6d2022-12-22T03:43:51ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032013-01-01812e8541110.1371/journal.pone.0085411Assessment of methodological quality of economic evaluations in belgian drug reimbursement applications.Steven SimoensOBJECTIVES: This paper aims to assess the methodological quality of economic evaluations included in Belgian reimbursement applications for Class 1 drugs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: For 19 reimbursement applications submitted during 2011 and Spring 2012, a descriptive analysis assessed the methodological quality of the economic evaluation, evaluated the assessment of that economic evaluation by the Drug Reimbursement Committee and the response to that assessment by the company. Compliance with methodological guidelines issued by the Belgian Healthcare Knowledge Centre was assessed using a detailed checklist of 23 methodological items. The rate of compliance was calculated based on the number of economic evaluations for which the item was applicable. RESULTS: Economic evaluations tended to comply with guidelines regarding perspective, target population, subgroup analyses, comparator, use of comparative clinical data and final outcome measures, calculation of costs, incremental analysis, discounting and time horizon. However, more attention needs to be paid to the description of limitations of indirect comparisons, the choice of an appropriate analytic technique, the expression of unit costs in values for the current year, the estimation and valuation of outcomes, the presentation of results of sensitivity analyses, and testing the face validity of model inputs and outputs. Also, a large variation was observed in the scope and depth of the quality assessment by the Drug Reimbursement Committee. CONCLUSIONS: Although general guidelines exist, pharmaceutical companies and the Drug Reimbursement Committee would benefit from the existence of a more detailed checklist of methodological items that need to be reported in an economic evaluation.http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC3875546?pdf=render |
| spellingShingle | Steven Simoens Assessment of methodological quality of economic evaluations in belgian drug reimbursement applications. PLoS ONE |
| title | Assessment of methodological quality of economic evaluations in belgian drug reimbursement applications. |
| title_full | Assessment of methodological quality of economic evaluations in belgian drug reimbursement applications. |
| title_fullStr | Assessment of methodological quality of economic evaluations in belgian drug reimbursement applications. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Assessment of methodological quality of economic evaluations in belgian drug reimbursement applications. |
| title_short | Assessment of methodological quality of economic evaluations in belgian drug reimbursement applications. |
| title_sort | assessment of methodological quality of economic evaluations in belgian drug reimbursement applications |
| url | http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC3875546?pdf=render |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT stevensimoens assessmentofmethodologicalqualityofeconomicevaluationsinbelgiandrugreimbursementapplications |