Pharmacoeconomic research

It is essential that research to assess the cost-effectiveness of antidepressant pharmacotherapy continues and that better pharmacoeconomic research methods evolve. Naturalistic studies may be used to observe how antidepressant dmgs petform in practice. 

Kozma, C.M., et al., "Economic, Clinical, and Humanistic Outcomes A Planning Model for Pharmacoeconomic Research," Clin. Therapeut., 15, 1121-1132 (1993). 

One Web site that may be particularly useful for gaining access to information on many different types of clinical pharmacy services is maintained by the Center for Pharmacoeconomic Research at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Pharmacy. The site is called VClinRx, short for The Value of Clinical Pharmacy Services, and it is a searchable database of literature on clinical pharmacy services. It can be accessed at http //www.uic.edu/pharmacy/centers/ pharmacoeconomic research/. 

Kozma CM, Reeder CE, Schultz RM, 1993. Economic, clinical and humanistic outcomes A planning model for pharmacoeconomic research. Clin Ther 15 1121. 

Associate Professor, Department of Pharmacy Practice Director, Center for Pharmacoeconomic Research, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois... 

The basic principles of scientific writing and reporting apply to pharmacoeconomic research, and little need be said here. The structure of the paper is the same (Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, etc.). It is important to be consistent and appropriate in the use of terminology (e.g. costs is not synonymous with charges , and cost-effectiveness is not a cost-benefit analysis Sanchez and Lee, 1994). New mediums such as the Internet offer new possibilities for publication, dissemination and debate (Medical Outcomes Trust, 2001 (www.outcomes-trust.org) American College of Clinical Pharmacy, 1996). 

Conducting pharmacoeconomic research in a hospital or managed-care environment can be challenging. Lack of institutional... 

Bootman JL, Larson LN, McGhan WF, Townsend RJ. Pharmacoeconomic research and clinical trials Concepts and issues. Ann Pharmacother 1989 23 693-697. 

Clemans K, Townsend R, Luscombe F, et al. Methodological and conduct principles for pharmacoeconomic research. Pharmacoeconomics 1995 8 169-174. 

Fourth, the chapters on Phase I clinical trials and pharmacoeconomic research have been written by experts in these fields. These are very rapidly-developing disciplines. The typical pharmaceutical physician has usually paid little attention to these aspects of clinical development, but it is our belief that these will dictate his/her clinical development plans to an ever-increasing degree in the future. Phase I studies can shorten overall clinical development time, and the pharmacoeconomic leveraging of (especially) Phase III and Phase IV studies (with preparatory Phase II work) are now essential in the modern competitive environment. 

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