Defining and Measuring the Affordability of New Medicines: A Systematic Review

  1. Antoñanzas, F. 3
  2. Terkola, R. 24
  3. Overton, P.M. 1
  4. Shalet, N. 5
  5. Postma, M. 444
  1. 1 Beacon Medical Communications, Brighton, United Kingdom
  2. 2 University of Florida
    info

    University of Florida

    Gainesville, Estados Unidos

    ROR https://ror.org/02y3ad647

  3. 3 Universidad de La Rioja
    info

    Universidad de La Rioja

    Logroño, España

    ROR https://ror.org/0553yr311

  4. 4 University of Groningen
    info

    University of Groningen

    Groninga, Holanda

    ROR https://ror.org/012p63287

  5. 5 NAS Healthcare Solutions, Surbiton, United Kingdom
Zeitschrift:
PharmacoEconomics

ISSN: 1170-7690

Datum der Publikation: 2017

Ausgabe: 35

Nummer: 8

Seiten: 777-791

Art: Artikel

DOI: 10.1007/S40273-017-0514-4 SCOPUS: 2-s2.0-85018782613 WoS: WOS:000407396900004 GOOGLE SCHOLAR

Andere Publikationen in: PharmacoEconomics

Zusammenfassung

Background: In many healthcare systems, affordability concerns can lead to restrictions on the use of expensive efficacious therapies. However, there does not appear to be any consensus as to the terminology used to describe affordability, or the thresholds used to determine whether new drugs are affordable. Objectives: The aim of this systematic review was to investigate how affordability is defined and measured in healthcare. Methods: MEDLINE, EMBASE and EconLit databases (2005–July 2016) were searched using terms covering affordability and budget impact, combined with definitions, thresholds and restrictions, to identify articles describing a definition of affordability with respect to new medicines. Additional definitions were identified through citation searching, and through manual searches of European health technology assessment body websites. Results: In total, 27 definitions were included in the review. Of these, five definitions described affordability in terms of the value of a product; seven considered affordability within the context of healthcare system budgets; and 15 addressed whether products are affordable in a given country based on economic factors. However, there was little in the literature to indicate that the price of medicines is considered alongside both their value to individual patients and their budget impact at a population level. Conclusions: Current methods of assessing affordability in healthcare may be limited by their focus on budget impact. A more effective approach may involve a broader perspective than is currently described in the literature, to consider the long-term benefits of a therapy and cost savings elsewhere in the healthcare system, as well as cooperation between healthcare payers and the pharmaceutical industry to develop financing models that support sustainability as well as innovation. © 2017 Springer International Publishing Switzerland