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The article reports plans of the Irish government to move from a taxation-based model of healthcare to a universal health insurance-based system with free general practitioner's (GP) care for all as revealed in a white paper by the Minister for Health Jame Reilly.

This article discusses a study on the cost effectiveness of strategies such as adjunctive mechanical thrombectomy and intra-arterial thrombolysis for treating large-vessel stroke.

Deals with the concerns raised by medical professionals about the British National Health Service White Paper in February 2006. Statement issued by Richard Q. Lewis of King's Fund in London, England; Barrier to the proposed improvements in accessibility to healthcare services; Suggestion of Anthony Harrison of King's Fund.

An abstract of the article "Delivering on the promise of universal health coverage" by A. Jha and others is presented.

The article reports that the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health (CADTH) is asking for feedback on its discussion paper about innovation in health technology and its value.

The article reports on a study which found that mobile phone-based monitoring does not improve asthma control or increase self efficacy and is not cost effective, compared with standard paper-based monitoring, in patients with poorly-controlled asthma.

The article reports on the possible solutions suggested for reforms in the British National Health Service (NHS).

The article discusses a commentary published in "The New England Journal of Medicine" which identifies sipuleucel-T as one of the first high-cost prostate cancer treatments that may not receive subsidy from the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

This article discusses a briefing paper on the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) threshold of the NICE written by Christopher McCabe from the University of Leeds in England and colleagues. The paper reviews what the ICER threshold represents, what the appropriate level is and what other factors the NICE should consider. Moreover, the paper critically assesses utilization of the threshold by the NICE to inform its guidance.

The article discusses research being done on a computerized provider order entry (CPOE) system in the U.S. which references the study "Cost-Effectiveness of a Computerized Provider Order Entry System in Improving Medication Safety Ambulatoru Care," by SH Forrester and colleagues published in the June 4, 2014 issue of "Value in Health."

This section offers news briefs on health issues as of April 2011. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued its approval for the preparation of hydroxyprogesterone caproate compound as a cheaper alternative of Makena. The discovery of Sipuleucel-T as a new treatment for prostate cancer raises doubts about the ability of Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to subsidize high-priced medicine. The British General Medical Council (GMC) has released for comment and consultation its draft guidance for medicine prescription.

This section presents regulatory and health care updates. A briefing paper revealed the life-saving benefits of rotavirus vaccines. Saudi Arabia has added Wyeth's pneumococcal 7-valent CRM19 vaccine to its national immunization programme (NIP). Abbott Laboratories reduced the price of its lopinavir/ritonavir product in Mexico.

The article reports that majority of respondents from the pharmaceutical industry and national competent authorities (NCAs) do not support a concept paper from the European Commission (EC) that introduces fees for pharmacovigilance activities in Europe.

The article reports on a discussion paper released by the Australian government at the National e-health Conference on November 30, 2010 which seeks views on the most effective delivery for its telehealth service.

The article reports on a discussion paper released by the Australian government seeking opinions on the most effective delivery for its telehealth service.

The article offers news briefs concerning medical economics. The growth in the U.S. Medicare spending per beneficiary has slowed, according to a working paper by the Congressional Budget Office. Pharmaceutical firm GlaxoSmithKline will provide antiretrovirals to Russia at a discount.

Presents news briefs on issues related to world public health as of February 25, 2006. Suspension called by the World Health Organization for the marketing and sales of artemisinin monotherapy for falciparum malaria; Inclusion of the 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine in the child immunization program of Great Britain.

In total, 145 patients received abiraterone (pre-chemotherapy: 63 patients; post-chemotherapy: 82) and 116 received enzalutamide (pre-chemotherapy: 42; post-chemotherapy: 74). In Scotland, the healthcare resource use and direct medical costs for patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) treated with abiraterone or enzalutamide appear to be similar and are "not driven by the choice of treatment regimen, but treatment setting (pre-chemotherapy or post-chemotherapy indications) and related healthcare resource utilisation", say the authors of a paper published in I Pharmacoeconomics - Open i . A majority of the pre-chemotherapy patients were from the most deprived areas of Scotland, whereas the opposite was true for most post-chemotherapy patients. [Extracted from the article]

Sternal wound infections (SWIs) result in substantial costs to the Australian healthcare system, and implementing new technologies, such as the single-patient electrocardiogram (spECG) system for CABG[1] monitoring - shown to reduce the SWI rate - "is likely to benefit patients and reduce costs", say the authors of a paper published in I ClinicoEconomics and Outcomes Research i . The study[2] used a systematic review of research, with cost data, on CABG-related surgical site infections (SSIs) in Australia published since 2000. [Extracted from the article]

The article reports that the International NSAID Consensus Group has published a consensus paper on safe prescription of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in patients with osteoarthritis (OA).

The article reports on the factors that hinder the global effort to reduce obesity rates, according to the McKinsey Global Institute (MGI) in their report "Overcoming Obesity: An Initial Economic Analysis."

The article reports on a systematic review published in the journal "Digestive Diseases and Sciences," which revealed that globally, Crohn's disease puts a large strain on overall health and is associated with high societal costs and a reduced health-related quality of life (hrQoL).

Universal electronic prescriptions will save the UK NHS £300 million by 2021, according to a media release from NHS Digital. Patients without a nominated pharmacy will still receive a paper copy, which has a bar code that can be scanned by the pharmacist to download the electronic prescription from the NHS database. [Extracted from the article]

The article reports on a survey commissioned by the British Medical Association (BMA) regarding the reforms outlined in the British government's White Paper, "Equity and Excellence: Liberating the National Health Service (NHS)," where overall response expressed skepticism on the effectivity of the proposed reforms due to increased competition within the NHS, fragmentation of services and decreased quality of care.

This article reports on a paper by the World Allergy Organization confirming epinephrine as the drug of choice for anaphylaxis. The organization concludes that the benefit far exceeds the risk when it come to using appropriate doses of IM epinephrine [adrenaline] to treat anaphylaxis. It suggests that high-risk individuals should have an anaphylaxis action plan and carry epinephrine auto-injectors.

This article presents ways to ensure a country spends a sixth of the entire economy on healthcare. It reflects on the case of the U.S. in which healthcare represents 16 percent of the economy. It suggests to create ill-health by creating and sustaining large economic and social inequalities. The article also advises to turn real and imagined health problems into market opportunities.

The article reports that the European Union and Canada have agreed to exchange confidential information about the authorization and safety of medicines. The agreement was signed between the European Commission, the European Medicines Agency (EMEA), and the Health Products and Food Branch of Health Canada. The deal is expected to accelerate access to innovative drugs and improve performance and safety of drugs. Examples of information that can be exchanged are position papers on future legislation and scientific advice on product development.

Non-communicable disease (NCDs) such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and neuropsychiatric conditions are a major global problem, accounting for about 36 million of the 57 million deaths annually. The WHO estimates that this figure will increase by 17% in the next 10 years. In September 2011, the United Nations held a landmark summit meeting calling for greater measures to prevent and control NCDs. Because of limited resources, data on the cost effectiveness of the strategies to tackle NCDs are needed. On 2 March 2012, the BMJ published a series of articles determining the cost effectiveness of strategies to combat NCDs in sub-Saharan Africa and South East Asia -- this information is crucial to prioritise interventions that could be used to control NCDs in developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the highlights of papers presented at the 2011 Annual Meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies held in the U.S. Topics tackled in the meeting include asthma care measures, the effectiveness of recombinant human hyaluronidase-facilitated subcutaneous (rHFSC) fluid administration in pediatric patients with dehydration, and the efficacy of mild fluid restriction in improving care and reducing health care costs for neonates with transient tachypnoea.

Background Drug-related problems have been identified as a major contributor to emergency room visits, hospitalizations, and death. The most commonly implicated medications are nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), antiplatelets, and anticoagulants. Considering a significant proportion of these harms are preventable, indicators to identify risky prescribing before they lead to harm have been developed. Objective To examine the prevalence and patterns of potentially inappropriate prescriptions (PIPs) in a primary care population who are using high-risk medications. Setting This study was performed within two multi-disciplinary family medicine teaching clinics in Winnipeg, Canada. Method A cross-sectional electronic/paper chart audit was conducted within two multi-disciplinary family medicine teaching clinics to evaluate the prevalence of 13 evidence-based high-risk prescriptions. Patients were included if they were prescribed an oral NSAID, antiplatelet, or an anticoagulant within the 12 month period between June 2012 and June 2013. Main outcome measure The proportion of PIPs associated with an increased bleeding risk for NSAIDs, antiplatelets, and anticoagulants. Results Of the 567 patients included in the review, 198 (35 %) patients had received at least 1 PIP in the past year. The most common PIP was the use of an oral NSAID with one or more GI risk factors without adequate gastro-protection. Only 34 (6 %) of these patients received a full medication review performed by a pharmacist. Although not statistically significant, patients who received a medication review had fewer inappropriate prescriptions (27 % with review, 35 % without). Conclusion Over one-third of the patients who were using high-risk medications were using them potentially inappropriately. Although pharmacists have been shown to reduce the amount of inappropriate prescribing, very few patients using these medications were referred to the pharmacist for a full medication review. These data suggest that there is opportunity for the identification and assessment of these patients when prescribing or dispensing these high-risk medications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports a white paper released by the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review that analyses the challenges of implementing indication-specific pricing (ISP) models in the U.S and its different conceptual framework. Topics discussed include ISP being considered as value-based pricing models by the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services for payment; ISP setting different prices for distinct patient sub-populations; and ways to design and implement ISP initiatives.

The article reports that according to the news paper "The Japan News," cost effectiveness of drugs and medical devices will be analyzed by the Japanese Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry to finalize the price and analysis of drugs to be done by the Central Social Insurance Medical Council of Japan.

The article reviews a white paper published by the Pioneer Institute on August 12, 2015 which indicated that healthcare consumers in Massachusetts are not yet reaping the benefits of a state healthcare price transparency law and which found that dentists as most transparent of the providers.

The article discusses a study which compared the availability of cost data between drug-susceptible (DS) tuberculosis (TB) and multidrug-resistant (MDR)-TB treatment, referencing a research by Y.V. Lawrence and colleagues, published in the May 5, 2015 issue of the journal "PharmacoEconomics."

A review of a conference paper, "Cost-Effectiveness of Isoniazid Preventative Therapy for HIV Infected Pregnant Women in India" by Kapoor S, et al. presented at the 22nd Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections held in Seattle from 23 to 25 February 2015 is presented.

A review of the conference paper, "Economic Impact of 21-gene Recurrence Score testing on Early Stage Breast Cancer in Ireland" presented by Smyth L, et al. at the St. Gallen International Breast Cancer Conference is presented.

The article discusses a study, which reports the cost of cancer care in Great Britain, and reveals that breast cancer and colorectal cancer treatment costs much more than prostate cancer treatment.

The article discusses comments by scientists Luciana Scalone and Paolo Cortesi of University of Milano-Bicocco, Italy on considering updated social tariffs while calculating quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) for drugs, which was in response to a study on cost utility of biologic drugs for plaque psoriasis.

The article reports on the findings of a study showing that high-dose edoxaban is a cost-effective alternative to warfarin for the prevention of stroke and systemic embolism in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF).

The article discusses research being done on the gap between literature evidence and policymakers' beliefs on hepatitis A vaccine adoption, conducted by S. Ozawa et al. published in the May 15, 2014 issue of "Vaccine."

The article cites claims of New Zealand's pharmaceutical management agency PHARMAC that promoting competition among suppliers can be the key to improve patent's access to high-cost drugs for rare conditions.

The article reports on the need for engaging doctors in encouraging the use of healthcare applications, according to speakers at a meeting in London, England in 2014.

The article discusses a study conducted in France, which found a significant cost for patients who are positive for anti-human leukocyte antigens and underwent desensitation therapy prior to lung transplantation, due to the price of intravenous immunoglobulins.

The article discusses research on the cost-effectiveness of distributing naloxone to heroin users for overdose reversal, referencing a study by P. O. Coffin and colleagues, published in the January 1, 2013 issue of "Annals of Internal Medicine."

The article focuses on a joint report from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the European Commission (EC) which reveals that health spending in Europe fell to -0.6% in 2010.