Pharmacoeconomics analysis perspectives

Controversy surrounds the issue of study perspective. Many researchers assert that society is the only relevant and the most appropriate perspective from which to conduct a pharmacoeconomic analysis. However, in the United States, these studies can be very resource-intensive in terms of time and money. Further, organizations may need to focus solely from their own perspectives to obtain the data necessary to inform timely decision making. 

Strategic Perspectives 2001 Cancer Cost Analysis— Pharmacoeconomic Perspectives on Breast Cancer Pharmacotherapy. Datamonitor. November 2001 208 pp. 

When evaluating published pharmacoeconomic studies, the following factors should be considered study objective, study perspective, pharmacoeconomic method, study design, choice of interventions, costs and consequences, discounting, study results, sensitivity analysis, study conclusions, and sponsorship. 

For additional information and hands-on practice conducting a pharmacoeconomic evaluation in the real world, practitioners should consider a recently published case study. In 2003, Okamoto published a case smdy on conducting a pharmacoeconomic evaluation using 16 steps that readers also may Hnd useful. In this case, chn-icians are challenged to conduct a faux economic analysis from an MCO (provider) perspective to support a review of inhaled corticosteroids for formulary management purposes. 

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