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Background: EQ-5D-3L population data are available only from Hungary, Poland and Slovenia in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). We aimed to compare the accessible studies and estimate a regional EQ-5D-3L population norm for CEE.Methods: A combined dataset using patient-level data of 8850 respondents was created. Based on the European Census of 2011, regional population norm estimates were calibrated by gender, age and education for the joint citizenry of 11 CEE countries.Results: EQ-5D-3L health states were available for 6926 and EQ VAS scores for 6569 respondents. Demographic characteristics of the samples reflected the recruitment methods (Hungary: online; Slovenia: postal survey, Poland: personal interviews). Occurrence of problems differed significantly by educational level in all the five dimensions (p < 0.001). The inter-country differences persisted after controlling for demographic variables. The estimated EQ-5D-3L index CEE norms with UK tariffs for age groups 18-24, 25-34, 35-44, 45-54, 55-64, 65-74 and 75 + were 0.911, 0.912, 0.871, 0.817, 0.762, 0.743 and 0.636 for males and 0.908, 0.888, 0.867, 0.788, 0.752, 0.68 and 0.584 for females, respectively. Estimates were provided also using Polish, European and Slovenian value sets.Conclusions: Besides gender and age, education should be considered during the design and interpretation of quality-of-life studies in CEE. The estimated regional EQ-5D-3L population norm may be used as a benchmark by CEE countries with lack of local dataset. However, the substantial inter-country differences in health status and scarcity of data over age 65 call for harmonized country-specific EQ-5D-3L population norm studies in the CEE region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Backround: Guidelines for economic analyses of health care technologies require local input data for reimbursement decisions in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). The aim of this study was to systematically review and analyse the available empirical studies using the EQ-5D instrument as a measure of the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients with neurological diseases.Methods: A systematic literature search was performed up to 1st April 2018 to identify relevant studies in eight selected CEE countries. Original articles reporting on studies of neurological diseases using the EQ-5D instrument were analysed.Results: Thirty-six articles, describing the results of 38 samples of patients and a total of 13,005 patients were included in the review. Most studies were from Hungary (44.4%) and none from Romania or Slovakia. EQ-5D utility scores were reported in 33 (91.7%) articles. In multiple sclerosis (MS) being the most represented disease, the average utility scores ranged from 0.49 in Austria to 0.80 in Poland with a weighted average of 0.69. EQ VAS scores for MS ranged from 39 in Czech Republic to 72.0 in Poland, with weighted average of 59.1. MS patients, together with epilepsy and essential tremor patients, estimated their HRQoL among the highest.Conclusions: EQ-5D research activity in neurology has been increasing through the years in studied CEE countries. There are clinical areas with the significant social burden, such as a migraine or meningitis, that are completely lacking data, other areas, such as stroke or epilepsy, with very scarce data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In the Central and Eastern European region, the British EQ-5D-3L value set is used commonly in quality of life (QoL) studies. Only Poland and Slovenia have country-specific weights. Our study aimed to investigate the impact of value set choice on the evaluation of 18 chronic conditions in Hungary.Methods: Patients' EQ-5D-3L index scores were calculated using the VAS-based Slovenian and European and the time-trade-off-based Polish and British value sets. We performed pairwise comparisons of mean index values by dimensions, diagnoses and age groups. We evaluated disease burden by comparing index values matched by age and gender in each condition with those of the general population of the CEE region in all four value sets.Results: Altogether, 2421 patients (55% female) were included in our sample with the average age of 55.87 years (SD = 17.75). The average Slovenian, European, Polish and British EQ-5D-3L scores were 0.598 (SD = 0.279), 0.661 (SD = 0.257), 0.770 (SD = 0.261) and 0.644 (SD = 0.279), respectively. We found highly significant differences in most diagnoses, with the greatest difference between the Polish and Slovenian index values in Parkinson's disease (0.265). Systematic pairwise comparison across all conditions and value sets revealed greatest differences between the time-trade-off (TTO) and VAS-based value sets as well as varying sensitivity of the disease burden evaluations of chronic disease conditions to the choice of value sets.Conclusions: Our results suggest that the choice of value set largely influences the health state utility results in chronic diseases, and might have a significant impact on health policy decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To date, a multi-country review evaluating the cost-of-illness (COI) studies from the Central and Eastern European (CEE) region has not yet been published. Our main objective was to provide a general description about published COI studies from CEE.Methods: A systematic search was performed between 1 January 2006 and 1 June 2017 in Medline, EMBASE, The Cochrane Library, CINAHL, and Web of Science to identify all relevant COI studies from nine CEE countries. COI studies reporting costs without any restrictions by age, co-morbidities, or treatment were included. Methodology, publication standards, and cost results were analysed.Results: We identified 58 studies providing 83 country-specific COI results: Austria (n = 9), Bulgaria (n = 16), Croatia (n = 3), the Czech Republic (n = 10), Hungary (n = 24), Poland (n = 11), Romania (n = 3), Slovakia (n = 3), and Slovenia (n = 4). Endocrine, nutritional, and metabolic diseases (18%), neoplasms (12%), infections (11%), and neurological disorders (11%) were the most frequently studied clinical areas, and multiple sclerosis was the most commonly studied disease. Overall, 57 (98%) of the studies explicitly stated the source of resource use data, 45 (78%) the study perspective, 34 (64%) the costing method, and 24 (58%) reported at least one unit costs. Regardless of methodological differences, a positive relationship was observed between costs of diseases and countries' per capita GDP.Conclusions: Cost-of-illness studies varied considerably in terms of methodology, publication practice, and clinical areas. Due to these heterogeneities, transferability of the COI results is limited across Central and Eastern European countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To estimate the budget impact of the introduction of biosimilar infliximab for the treatment of Crohn's disease (CD) in Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia.Methods: A 3-year, prevalence-based budget impact analysis for biosimilar infliximab to treat CD was developed from third-party payers' perspective. The model included various scenarios depending on whether interchanging originator infliximab with biosimilar infliximab was allowed or not.Results: Total cost savings achieved in biosimilar scenario 1 (interchanging not allowed) and BSc2 (interchanging allowed in 80% of the patients) were estimated to €8.0 million and €16.9 million in the six countries. Budget savings may cover the biosimilar infliximab therapy for 722-1530 additional CD patients.Conclusions: Introduction of biosimilar infliximab to treat CD may offset the inequity in access to biological therapy for CD between Central and Eastern European countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]