January 2005 

 

 

**ABSTRACT SUBMISSION DEADLINE**

ISPOR 10TH ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL MEETING: 

**JANUARY 10, 2005, 11:59 PM (US PACIFIC COAST TIME)**

 

NEW THIS MONTH

 

**COMING SOON**  Value in Health Vol. 8 No. 1 (January/February 2005) featured articles

**NEW**    ISPOR CONNECTIONS, Vol. 10 No. 6 May/June 2004, featuring summary of the ISPOR 9^th Annual International Meeting (with pictures!)

**NEW**    ISPOR Distance Learning Program Modules

**NEW**    ISPOR Risk Management Survey

**NEW**    10 New Positions At The ISPOR Website

 

ISPOR ONGOING ACTIVITIES

 

1.       Publications

2.       Meetings and Congresses

3.       Educational Activities

4.       Student News

5.       ISPOR Special Interest Groups

6.       Committee and Task Force Activities

7.       Hot Topics

8.       Important Dates to Remember

9.       Employment in Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research

10.    Membership

 

1. PUBLICATIONS

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VALUE IN HEALTH

 

Value in Health: Volume 8, Issue 1, January/February 2005 will be available later this month at: http://www.ispor.org/valueinhealth_index.asp.

 

Featured in this Issue…

 

THE ECONOMIC BURDEN OF ANEMIA IN CANCER PATIENTS RECEIVING CHEMOTHERAPY

 

Leon E. Cosler, Visaharan Sivasubramaniam, Olayemi Agboola, Jeffrey Crawford, David Dale, Gary H. Lyman

 

Although anemia is a common hematologic complication of cancer and its treatment, to date there have been only limited studies on its economic impact on the health care system. Now, however, there is important new evidence that anemia is associated with a considerable burden in terms of direct medical costs among cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. Dr Gary Lyman, from the University of Rochester Medical Center, and colleagues, will report the results from an econometric analysis of 2,760 cancer patients in Value in Health (Lyman et al, March/April 2005). The analysis revealed that the average 6-month total health care expenditures for anemic patients were almost double those for non-anemic patients ($62,499 compared to $36,871), after adjusting for disease type, severity and other factors. Anemic patients had approximately twice as many hospital admissions and emergency department visits, and a third more outpatient service days and prescription drug claims, than those who were not anemic. Dr Lyman observed “while patients with anemia represent just over a quarter of patients undergoing chemotherapy, their healthcare expenditures accounted for 46% of inpatient expenditures and 38% of all expenditures.” The use of erythropoietin treatment to stimulate production of red blood cells accounted for less than 2% of the total expenditure in the anemia group. The findings of this study have important implications for the management of anemia in patients with cancer.

 

A COMPARISON OF THE COSTS AND EFFECTS OF BRONCHODILATOR THERAPIES FOR THE TREATMENT OF PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE (COPD)

 

Jan B Oostenbrink, Maureen PMH Rutten-van Mölken, Brigitta U Monz, J. Mark FitzGerald

 

 

Patients with COPD suffer from chronic airflow limitation and are usually treated with bronchodilators to relieve symptoms and to prevent exacerbations of the disease (worsening symptoms requiring a change in treatment and possibly hospitalization). Oostenbrink et al. from the Erasmus MC Rotterdam have developed a model to compare the costs and effects of various bronchodilators in different countries. In their analysis, published in the January/February 2005 issue of Value in Health, they compared three bronchodilators: tiotropium (an anticholinergic for once-daily dosing), ipratropium (an anticholinergic for four times daily dosing) and salmeterol (a beta-agonist for twice-daily dosing) in the Netherlands and Canada. Model inputs about the effectiveness of treatments were derived from the clinical trial program of tiotropium, while estimates of resource use and costs were derived from a variety of sources. The model showed that the mean number of exacerbations per patient per year ranged from 0.85 in the tiotropium group, to 1.02 in the salmeterol group and to 1.14 in the ipratropium group. The difference between tiotropium and ipratropium was statistically significant (p<0.05). In the Netherlands, 1-year health care costs in the tiotropium and salmeterol groups were approximately 150€ lower than in the ipratropium group. In Canada, costs were about the same in all treatment groups. Oostenbrink et al. concluded that there is considerable uncertainty about the exacerbation rates in each treatment group. Given their most likely estimates, tiotropium is associated with a reduction in the number of exacerbations without increasing health care costs.

 

CLINICAL TRIALS AND THE ECONOMIC EVALUATION OF MEDICAL INTERVENTIONS

 

Amy K. O’Sullivan PhD, David Thompson PhD, Michael F. Drummond DPhil

 

In today’s environment of escalating health-care costs, value for money has become an important part of the overall assessment of new medical interventions.  One of the most common approaches for conducting economic analyses of medical interventions is to collect health-economic data within an otherwise typical clinical trial.  These so-called “piggyback” evaluations can benefit from the experimental design that maximizes the trial’s internal validity, and it is often more practical to collect economic data within a trial rather than to fund a stand-alone study.  However, piggyback evaluations are subject to problems deriving from the competing nature of clinical versus economic objectives.  A recent study, “Collection of Health-Economic Data Alongside Clinical Trials,” published in Value in Health, reviews the conflicting nature of these objectives, how various aspects of study design may be compromised, and ways of addressing the challenges.  The study was co-authored by Amy O’Sullivan, David Thompson, and Michael Drummond of Innovus Research Inc. Says Dr. O’Sullivan, “While the methodological concerns regarding piggyback evaluations have been discussed at length, ways of handling them have received considerably less attention.  We reviewed the various issues that may arise during the conduct of piggyback evaluations, along with approaches that can be employed to address them in practice.”  The future role of piggyback evaluations is also discussed. 

 

 

THE COST-EFFECTIVENESS OF DRUGS DOES VARY FROM ONE EUROPEAN COUNTRY TO ANOTHER, BUT THE IMPLICATIONS FOR DECISION-MAKING ARE NOT STRAIGHTFORWARD

 

Marco Barbieri, Michael Drummond, Richard Wilke, Jeremy Chancellor, Bruno Jolain, Adrian Towse

 

Since there is not the manpower or resources to study the cost-effectiveness of every drug in every country, decision-makers need to interpret findings from other locations.  That is, if a drug was found to be cost-effective in Country X, would it also be cost-effective in Country Y?  Since many factors vary from country to country, such as the cost and availability of health care resources and clinical practice patterns, there are doubts about whether cost-effectiveness results can be simply transferred.  This paper, by Marco Barbieri and colleagues, published in Value in Health January 2005, reviewed the results of methodologically similar cost-effectiveness studies of 46 drugs undertaken in more than one Western European country.  It was found that the cost-effectiveness estimates did vary from place to place, with no clear pattern emerging.  Barbieri notes that, ‘One important finding was that the extent of variation we found was highly dependent on the amount allowed by the researcher’s chosen methodology’.  However, the implications for decision-making are quite complex.  As Barbieri points out, ‘Much depends on what decision-makers in different countries are willing-to-pay for the health benefits generated by drug therapy.  If they were willing-to-pay at least $50,000 for an additional quality-adjusted life-year (QALY), we might reach the same conclusion on cost-effectiveness for most countries, despite the variation in results’.

 

ISPOR CONNECTIONS

 

ISPOR CONNECTIONS: Volume 10, Issue 6, November/December 2004 is now available to the public at: http://www.ispor.org/news/index_new.asp.  In this issue:

 

ISPOR 9^th Annual Meeting Summary

 

ISPOR 9^th Annual Meeting Short Courses

 

ISPOR 9^th Annual Meeting Award Recipients

 

ISPOR 9^th Annual Meeting Photo Gallery

 

 

HEALTH CARE COST, QUALITY, AND OUTCOMES: ISPOR BOOK OF TERMS

 

 

This ISPOR publication includes more than 100 detailed monographs covering over 400 terms used in health care delivery, management, and regulation, as well as health care outcomes research including clinical, economic, and quality-of-life research terms. ISPOR member discounted price is $36.00; a 40% discount!  Student/Library/Academic discounted price: $33.00 (a 45% discount). On-line ordering is now available at: http://www.ispor.org/publications/lexicon_index.asp.  Contact Stephen Priori at spriori@ispor.org for information on orders over 1000. 

 

  

2. ISPOR MEETINGS AND CONGRESSES

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ISPOR 10TH ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL MEETING

May 15-18, 2005, Marriott Wardman Park Hotel, Washington, DC, USA

 

CALL FOR ABSTRACTS AVAILABLE ONLINE

http://ispor.confex.com/ispor/intl2005/

SUBMIT YOUR ABSTRACT NOW!

Abstract Deadline: 10 January 2005

Early Registration Deadline: 19 April 2005

 

HOTEL RESERVATIONS, online reservations and additional information

http://www.ispor.org/meetings/washington0505/hotel.asp

 

MEETING AT A GLANCE

http://www.ispor.org/meetings/washington0505/index.asp 

 

EXHIBIT SPACE, contract available online at

https://www.ispor.org/Exhibit_Sponsor/ExhibitorOpportunities.aspx?event=2

 

SPONSORSHIP Opportunities are available, for more information go to

https://www.ispor.org/Exhibit_Sponsor/SponsorshipOpportunities.aspx?event=2

 

 

 

3. EDUCATION ACTIVITIES

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ISPOR SHORT COURSES

Saturday, May 14^th & Sunday May 15^th, 2005 - Prior to the ISPOR 10^th Annual International Meeting

 

**For short course descriptions and faculty information go to:

 

Saturday, May 14th: http://www.ispor.org/meetings/washington0505/sc14.asp

Sunday, May 15th: http://www.ispor.org/meetings/washington0505/sc15.asp

 

 

Pharmacoeconomics Courses:

Pharmacoeconomics for Decision-makers – Saturday Full Day Course (8:00am-5:00pm)

Elements of Pharmaceutical Pricing – Sunday Morning Course (8:00am-12:00pm)

 

Clinical Assessment Courses:

Retrospective Database Analysis: Data sources and Methods – Saturday Full Day Course (8:00am-5:00pm)

Meta-Analysis and Systematic Literature Review – Sunday Morning Course (8:00am-12:00pm)

 

Modeling Courses:

Bayesian Analysis: Overview – Saturday Morning Course (8:00am-12:00pm)

 

Bayesian Analysis: Applications – Saturday Afternoon Course (1:00pm-5:00pm)

Modeling: Structure & Design of Model – Sunday Full Day Course (8:00am-5:00pm)

 

Discrete Event Simulation for Economic Analyses - Sunday Afternoon Course (1:00pm-5:00pm)

 

Introduction to Decision Analysis – Sunday Afternoon Course (1:00pm-5:00pm)

 

Quality of Life/Patient-reported Outcomes Courses:

Introduction to Quality of Life/Patient-Reported Outcomes – Saturday Afternoon Course (1:00pm-5:00pm)

Old and New Utility Measures in Health Economics and Outcomes Research – Sunday Morning Course (8:00am-12:00pm)

 

Advanced Quantitative Methods for Quality of Life/Patient-reported Outcomes Research – Sunday Afternoon Course (1:00pm-5:00pm)

 

Economic Analysis Courses:

Financial Impact / Cost of Illness – Saturday Afternoon Course (1:00pm-5:00pm)

Cost Estimation: Finding and Extracting Cost Data – Sunday Morning Course (8:00am-12:00pm)

Statistical Considerations in Economic Evaluations – Sunday Afternoon Course (1:00pm-5:00pm)
 

**NEW** ISPOR Distance Learning Program Modules

            http://www.ispor.org/distancelearning/index.asp

 

Modules on Pharmacoeconomics in Drug Development, Reimbursement and Marketing

·  Pharmacoeconomics in Drug Development and Marketing: An Overview     

·  Drug Development - Pre-Phase II Pharmacoeconomic Activities

·  Drug Development- Phase II Pharmacoeconomic Activities

·  Drug Development – Phase III Pharmacoeconomic Activities

·  Drug Development – Phase IIIB and Pre-Market Entry Pharmacoeconomic Activities

 

The following module topics are currently available:

 

Pharmacoeconomics

Pharmacoeconomic Evaluations &  Methods

Cost-Effectiveness Analysis

Cost-Benefit Analysis

Cost-Utility Analysis

Humanistic Outcomes (Utilities, Health-related Quality of Life, Patient-reported Outcomes, Patient Preferences)

Study Design in Pharmacoeconomics

Guidelines and Reference Standards

 

 

4. STUDENT NEWS

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Visit ISPOR Internship- Professional Recruitment Assistance Program (I-PRAP)

http://www.ispor.org/iprap/index.asp 

STUDENTS have the opportunity to search for internship positions available and post their CVs/resumes for employers to view. Post your CV today!

EMPLOYERS have the opportunity to access CVs/resumes from interested students. 

For more details on the ISPOR Student Network, please visit: http://www.ispor.org/student/student_index.asp

          

 

 

5. ISPOR SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS (SIG)

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MEDICATION COMPLIANCE SIG

The Issues and Methods Definitions Working Group thanks all members who commented on the proposed consensus definitions of Medication Compliance (Synonym Adherence) and Medication Persistence.  The Group is now considering the comments and working on operationalizing the definitions.

            For more details on this SIG, please visit: http://www.ispor.org/sigs/medication.asp

 

PATIENT REGISTRY SIG

 

Thanks to the all the ISPOR members who responded to the Patient Registry Survey.  The analysis is complete and the results will be published shortly.

For more details on this SIG, please visit: http://www.ispor.org/sigs/patient_registr.asp

 

RISK MANAGEMENT SIG

 

**NEW** ISPOR Risk Management Survey

Underlying all medical therapies is the balance of risk and benefit.  To learn how different individuals view this balance, the ISPOR Risk Management Special Interest Group would appreciate if you would take a few minutes to complete a survey. 

 

If you have not completed the ISPOR Risk Management Survey, please complete the survey at: http://www.ispor.org/surveys/RM_SIG/default.asp

 

The survey contains 3 sections:

·         Perceptions of Risks and Benefits of Health Care Interventions

·         Assessment of Medical and Non-Medical Risks and Benefits

·         A Risk Estimate Questionnaire

 

The information from this survey will be confidential and will greatly help us to plan our future activities. 

 

For more details on this SIG, please visit: http://www.ispor.org/sigs/rm.asp

 

RETROSPECTIVE DATABASE SIG

 

For more details on this SIG, please visit: http://www.ispor.org/sigs/retrospective_db.asp

 

QUALITY OF LIFE SIG

For more details on this SIG, please visit: http://www.ispor.org/sigs/qol.asp

 

HEALTH TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT SIG

 

For more details on this SIG, please visit http://www.ispor.org/sigs/hta.asp

 

   
MANAGED CARE SIG

 

For more details, please visit http://www.ispor.org/sigs/mc_pbm.asp

 

CLINICAL PRACTICE SIG

 

The Clinical Practice SIG is submitting an issues panel, 2 workshops and a poster abstract for the ISPOR 10^th Annual International Meeting.

For more details, please visit: http://www.ispor.org/sigs/cp.asp

 

Special Interest Group membership is open to ALL ISPOR members.

To JOIN any SIG: http://www.ispor.org/sigs/joinsig.asp

 

 

 

6. ISPOR BOARD, COMMITTEE, AND TASK FORCE ACTIVITIES

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            ISPOR 2005-2006 BOARD OF DIRECTORS CALL FOR NOMINATIONS

ISPOR is a member-driven organization.  As a member-driven organization, its governance is determined by the membership.  The ISPOR Nominations Committee is seeking qualified candidates for the position of PRESIDENT-ELECT and 2 DIRECTOR positions.

 

You, as an ISPOR member, are invited to submit your name if you wish to be considered for a position on the ISPOR BOARD OF DIRECTORS.  You may also recommend the name of another ISPOR member.  Please email your interest or recommendation to: nominations@ispor.org.

 

Please attach a curriculum vitae.  The deadline for submitting nominations is Monday, February 2, 2005.

 

      AWARD COMMITTEE ACTIVITIES

 

ISPOR RESEARCH EXCELLENCE AWARDS CALL FOR NOMINATIONS

 

The ISPOR Awards Committee is seeking nominees for both the ISPOR Research Excellence Award for Methodology Excellence and Research Excellence Award for Practical Application Excellence.

 

See http://www.ispor.org/awards/methodology_.asp and http://www.ispor.org/awards/application_.asp for Excellence Awards descriptions, criteria, selection process, nature of award, and past recipients.

 

ISPOR BERNIE O’BRIEN NEW INVESTIGATOR AWARDS CALL FOR NOMINATIONS

 

The ISPOR Bernie O’Brien New Investigator Award was established in 2004 to honor the long-standing commitment of Bernie J. O’Brien, PhD to training and mentoring new scientists in the fields of outcomes research and pharmacoeconomics.  The award will be presented for the first time at the ISPOR 10^th Annual International Meeting in Washington, DC, 15-18, 2005.

 

The ISPOR Awards Committee is seeking nominees for this award. See http://www.ispor.org/awards/Obrien_investigator.asp for descriptions, criteria, selection process, and nature of the award.

 

      The deadline to submit nominees for both awards is FEBRUARY 15, 2005.

 

 

HEALTH SCIENCE INITIATIVE: RCT-CEA TASK FORCE

 

For more details, please visit: http://www.ispor.org/workpaper/clinical_trial.asp

 

7. HOT TOPICS

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STATEMENT OF MARK B. MCCLELLAN, M.D., PH.D., ADMINISTRATOR, CENTERS FOR MEDICARE & MEDICAID SERVICES ON THE MODEL DRUG CATEGORIES AND CLASSES ANNOUNCED BY US PHARMACOPEIA

 

WASINGTON D.C. – (January 3, 2005) – The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) commends the US Pharmacopeia (USP), its expert committee, and the many public commenters for their hard work on the USP model guidelines.   The model categories and classes are a key approach for meeting one aspect of our comprehensive oversight of the Medicare drug benefit – the determination that a formulary classification system does not discriminate and provides the scope and level of detail necessary to describe a clinically adequate benefit. 

 

For full text of the article, go to: http://www.cms.hhs.gov/media/press/release.asp?Counter=1303

 

 

8. IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER

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January 10, 2005 - Abstract Submission deadline for the ISPOR 10th Annual International Meeting.

 

February 2, 2005 – Submission deadline for nominees for ISPOR 2005-2006 Board of Directors positions.

 

February 15, 2005 – Submission deadline for nominees for ISPOR Research Excellence Awards and Bernie J. O’Brien  New Investigator Award.

 

April 19, 2005 – Early Meeting registration and hotel reservation deadline for the ISPOR 10th Annual International Meeting, Marriott Wardman Park Hotel, Washington, DC.

 

May 15-18 2005 – ISPOR 10th Annual International Meeting, Marriott Wardman Park Hotel, Washington, DC.

 

June 20, 2005 – Abstract Submission deadline for the ISPOR 8th Annual European Congress.

9. EMPLOYMENT

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**NEW** 10 NEW POSITIONS AT THE ISPOR WEBSITE: http://www.ispor.org/employment/employment_index.asp

 

            Advertise your positions on ISPOR Website (1 million hits per month)

 

            FREE LISTING OF INTERNSHIPS

Visit ISPOR’s Internship-Professional Recruitment Assistance Program (I-PRAP) at http://www.ispor.org/iprap/index.asp

 

Over 60 student resumes posted! I-PRAP is an ONLINE, FREE service available to ISPOR members. 

 

STUDENTS have the opportunity to search for internship positions available and post their CVs/resumes for employers to view. 

EMPLOYERS have the opportunity to post their Intern positions available and access CVs/resumes from interested students.

 

Any questions, please contact: iprap@ispor.org.

 

Statistical Scientist – Outcomes Research (Associate Director) With Pfizer

Position Available

 

Statistical Scientist – Outcomes Research (Associate Director)

 

Imagine a career that touches the lives of people everywhere.  Imagine an opportunity to reach beyond your area of expertise to make an impact on something greater than the bottom line.  Imagine playing a key role in some of the most critical issues facing healthcare today.  This is your career at Pfizer – a career unlike any other.

 

Partner with our Outcomes Research (OR) scientists to develop effective OR product support programs that make optimal use of available data sources and statistical methods.

Your contributions will provide technical statistical support to outcomes research projects and ensure sound statistical input to the development of health outcomes measurements, preparation of statistical analysis plans, interpretation of statistical results, and production of reporting displays for outcomes research projects.   You will also ensure that sound statistical principles are applied in Exploratory Data Analysis, data mining and meta-analysis of health outcomes databases.  This is an excellent opportunity to collaborate with Outcomes Research scientists and Biostatistics Therapeutic Area Heads to identify opportunities for exploratory analyses and data mining of health outcomes databases.  You will be expected to both communicate and collaborate with clinical project statisticians within the therapeutic areas to ensure consistency of statistical approaches and alignment of statistical analyses of health outcomes with overall product marketing strategy.

 

Pfizer is committed to equal opportunity in the terms and conditions of employment for all employees and job applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, gender identity or gender expression, national origin, disability or veteran status.  Pfizer also complies with all applicable national, state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment.

 

For more details and to open the dialogue for consideration please go to www.pfizer.com/careers and apply to requisition 039670.