Recent pep_rw items

Pharmaceutical Prices and Expenditures

Mon, 24 Feb 2003 00:00:00 +0000

Pharmaceutical Prices and Expenditures

Differences in Managed Care Drug Formularies: What Can Consumers Learn?

Mon, 24 Feb 2003 00:00:00 +0000

Differences in Managed Care Drug Formularies: What Can Consumers Learn?

Drug Evaluations: Type I vs. Type II Errors

Mon, 24 Feb 2003 00:00:00 +0000

Drug testing in the United States is currently biased toward the minimization of "Type I" error, that is, toward minimizing the chance of approving drugs that are unsafe or ineffective. This regulatory focus of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ignores the potential for committing the alternative "Type II" error, that is, the error of not approving drugs that are, in fact, safe and effective. Such Type II errors can result in the loss of significant benefits to society when the sale of drugs that are safe and effective is prohibited. The present drug approval system puts enormous stress on Type I errors and largely ignores Type II errors, thereby raising the cost of drug testing and delaying the availability of safe and effective drugs. A more balanced set of FDA drug approval standards, accounting for the consequences of both Type I and Type II errors, could result in better outcomes, as compared to the present system.

The Pharmaceutical Research and Development Process, and its Costs

Mon, 24 Feb 2003 00:00:00 +0000

The Pharmaceutical Research and Development Process, and its Costs

Do Managed Care Drug Formularies Signal Health Plan Coverage Generosity

Mon, 24 Feb 2003 00:00:00 +0000

Do Managed Care Drug Formularies Signal Health Plan Coverage Generosity

The Productivity of Health Care and Pharmaceuticals: An International Comparison

Mon, 24 Feb 2003 00:00:00 +0000

Much work has been done analyzing the determinants of health care expenditures. Much less effort has been devoted to analyzing the determinants of health itself. The focus of the analysis presented here is the production of health, with special attention paid to disaggregating health into pharmaceuticals and other health care. We also analyze the effects that wealth and certain lifestyle factors have on health.

Researchers who have analyzed the determinants of health across geographic units have found certain striking and consistent results. First, basic public health services, in the form of potable water and sanitation services, provide the biggest payoffs in decreased mortality for all age groups. Second, the expansion of health care services does not improve mortality to anywhere near the extent that public health infrastructure development does, if at all. Some researchers have even found positive relationships between some health care inputs and mortality. The results...