NPC Updates
- July/August, 2002
This Issue:
- New Resources from NPC
- The Value of Pharmaceutical Innovation
New Resources from NPC:
- Disease Management:
Balancing Cost and Quality. Studies of the benefits of disease
management services for the treatment of asthma, 2002.
This bibliography presents 69 studies chronicling the impact of educational
interventions on asthma treatment and management. It is intended to
serve as a guide for those interested in developing disease management
programs for the treatment of asthma.
- Pharmaceutical
Assistance Under State Medicaid Programs, 2001.
This compilation of data on State Medical Assistance Programs presents
a general overview of the characteristics of state programs, together
with detailed information on the pharmaceutical benefits provided. The
data collection efforts cover all states with Medicaid programs and
the District of Columbia. This 500-page book, compiled annually
by NPC, has become a standard reference for federal and state health
officials, consultancies, research libraries, and numerous businesses.
- Patient Adherence to HIV Medication Regiments: A Review of Published
and Abstract Reports, by Linda Fogarty, Debra Roter, Susan Larson, Jessica
Burke, Jeanne Gillespie, and Richard Levy. Patient Education and
Counseling, 46 (2002) 93-108. (Click
here to order Patient Adherence to HIV Medication Regiments.)
A literature search of published articles reporting correlates of HIV
medication adherence or interventions designed to increase HIV medication
adherence found that more complex regimens were related to decreased
adherence, but were often successfully mitigated by medication aids.
Social and psychological factors reflecting emotional adjustment to
HIV/AIDS and provider support were related to adherence. Access
to institutional resources was also associated with better adherence.
The Value of Pharmaceutical Innovation:
As patients spend more time at the prescription counter and less time
in the hospital, it is important to consider that this shift has and will
continue to change the health care system and the way we spend our health
care dollars. Over the last several years, the national conversation about
the costs and benefits of pharmaceuticals has intensified. Can we afford
it? What are the benefits? Is it worth it? A body of peer-reviewed research
discussing the value of pharmaceutical innovation has been growing over
the past several years, and the researchers take a hard look at the questions
posed here.
- Assessing the Impact
of Pharmaceutical Innovation: A Comprehensive Framework, by Jack
A. Meyer, Ph.D., 2002
The key finding in this report is that new drugs are yielding a wide
range of benefits to our society that more than justify the investment
needed to produce them. This report develops a comprehensive framework
for assessing the value of pharmaceutical innovation that encompasses
both the cost of bringing new products to market and the direct and
indirect benefits.
- Are the Benefits of
Newer Drugs Worth Their Cost? Evidence From the 1996 MEPS, by Frank
R. Lichtenberg, reprinted from Health Affairs, September/October
2001
Critics of pharmaceutical spending point to the increase in the pharmaceutical
“line item” in our overall health spending as cause for alarm. Lichtenberg’s
research examines the value of this spending in its complete context
by exploring whether there are cost offsets associated with using newer
and, most often, more expensive drugs. Lichtenberg finds that we are
paying more, but we are getting a bigger “bang for our buck.”
- The Price of Progress:
Prescription Drugs in the Health Care Market, by J.D. Kleinke, reprinted
from Health Affairs, September/October 2001
Kleinke’s research tells us that increased spending on pharmaceuticals
does not explain the insurance premium increases that many consumers
are seeing. He points out that pharmaceuticals are a small fraction
of the total equation, and that even though spending on pharmaceuticals
is increasing, that rise in expenditures amounts to a small percentage
of the premium increases.
- Perspectives on the Pharmaceutical
Industry, by Uwe E. Reinhardt, reprinted from Health Affairs,
September/October 2001
Reinhardt’s research shows that our nation can indeed afford spending
on drugs that help us live longer, more productive lives. Spending on
pharmaceuticals accounts for only a small fraction of our Gross Domestic
Product (GDP). In fact, Americans spend more per capita on alcohol,
tobacco, and entertainment combined than on pharmaceuticals.
- The Link Between Gross
Profitability and Pharmaceutical R&D Spending, by F.M. Scherer,
reprinted from Health Affairs, September/October 2001
Scherer points out that the new pharmaceutical discoveries benefiting
consumers are being driven by the gross profit margins that pharmaceutical
companies make. As profits increase, so does research and development.
This ultimately yields new and promising options for consumers. In addition,
Scherer finds that medical innovations are leading to longer life and
improved quality of life.
Please go to our page on the value
of pharmaceutical innovation for additional resources.
To order any of these publications in hard copy (free of charge), please
go to our order form or call
(703) 620-6390.
Since 1953, NPC has sponsored and conducted scientific, evidence-based
analyses of the appropriate use of pharmaceuticals and the clinical and
economic value of pharmaceutical innovation. NPC provides educational
resources to a variety of health care stakeholders, including patients,
clinicians, payers and policy makers. More than 20 research-based pharmaceutical
companies are members of the NPC.
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