# \[e-drug\] Pharmacoeconomics in drug selection **URL:** \ **Category:** e-drug\ **Created:** [February 23, 2000, 11:40pm UTC](https://talk.edrugplus.org/t/e-drug-pharmacoeconomics-in-drug-selection/7418 "2000-02-23T23:40:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![mddah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f0a364/32.png) [@mddah](https://talk.edrugplus.org/u/mddah)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2000, 11:40pm UTC](https://talk.edrugplus.org/t/e-drug-pharmacoeconomics-in-drug-selection/7418/1 "2000-02-23T23:40:38Z")
E-drug: Pharmacoeconomics in drug selection ------------------------------------------------------------------------- SOME PLACES ARE STILL AVAILABLE PHARMACOECONOMICS IN DRUG SELECTION March 26 - April 8, 2000 South Africa An international short course on the use of pharmacoeconomics in drug selection, developed under the auspices of WHO/EDM, will be held in South Africa, from March 27 - April 8, 2000. The aim of the programme is to provide participants with an understanding of the principles and techniques of pharmacoeconomics, and how these tools can be used in making decisions about selecting and purchasing pharmaceuticals for use in health care systems. The course has been developed by an international consortium, including departments of clinical pharmacology and public health at the Universities of Newcastle and Sydney (Australia), and Dundee (UK), in collaboration with Management Sciences for Health and WHO/EDM. The programme in South Africa will be hosted jointly by the University of Newcastle and the Medical University of Southern Africa (MEDUNSA). The confirmed faculty includes Hans Hogerzeil, David Henry, Suzanne Hill, Glenn Salkeld, Danielle Lang, Peter Davey, Rob Summers, Jim Rankin. Other Faculty are to be confirmed. The course will be problem-based, facilitated by international and national experts. It will provide participants with the opportunity to work in small groups, learning about and using pharmacoeconomic techniques to address common problems in selecting drugs for national and sub-national formularies. Participants should therefore be working in some aspect of the academic or public health sector, and have some responsibility, either at managerial level or "hands on" level, for selection of pharmaceuticals for essential drugs lists or hospital formularies. Participants should also have a basic understanding of the principles of assessing and evaluating data for drug selection. COURSE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES The overall aim of the course is to develop students' knowledge and skills of economic evaluation and evidence-based medicine as anaid to pricing and purchasing decisions for medicines. Students will be introduced to the principles and methods of pharmacoeconomicsand develop skills in the application of those principles to key issues surrounding the selection of drugs. Emphasis will be placed onlearning by case study analysis and problem solving. SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES - To identify and describe the kind of choices facing    national/state/provincial governments or organisations in    makingchoices about purchasing medicines; - To provide a conceptual and analytical framework (both economic    and clinical) in which drug selection problems canbe analysed; - To appreciate the relevance of fundamental economic concepts,    such as 'opportunity cost' and 'the margin' to drugpurchasing    decisions; - To appreciate the usefulness of an evidence-based approach to    economic evaluation; - To develop practical skills which will enable the participant to    appraise critically economic evaluations ofpharmaceuticals; - To develop an understanding of how the results of economic    evaluations are dependent on the value judgementsmade; and - To develop an understanding of the relationship between    evaluation and health policy. BY THE END OF THE COURSE REGISTRANTS WILL BE ABLE TO: - Perform a basic pharmacoeconomic evaluation - Appraise critically an economic evaluation which would inform    drug purchasing decisions and subsequent pricenegotiations TEACHING STYLE - Participants will work in groups and will be given a number of different tasks. The groups will be required to make decisions based on the effectiveness, safety and cost of the drugs. - Participants will be expected to spend time looking at information and developing guidelines on the use of pharmacoeconomics. It is expected that the guidelines will vary depending on the different circumstances/background/context of the students. - The key scenarios are described in each session heading, but there will be optional problems for those groups that work faster. KEY LEARNING OBJECTIVES - To introduce participants to the basic concepts of decision-making - To enable participants to perform a basic PE evaluation - To enable participants to perform a basic assessment of the    quality of clinical trial data - To demonstrate how cost-effectiveness ratios can change for    different indications - To contextualise the role of PE evaluation in setting and managing    prices - To enable participants to utilise PE evaluations in price    negotiations - To introduce participants to the principles of appraisal applied in    the assessment of pharmacoeconomic evaluations - To enable participants to perform a review/appraisal of a PE    assessment - To develop guidelines for the appraisal of a PE evaluation - To introduce participants to basic principles of PE modelling - To enable participants to apply their PE skills in practice, and - To contextualise the operational relevance of PE evaluations in    health systems COURSE DETAILS Venue: Week 1 will be conducted in a venue in Pretoria, the second at Greenway Woods Conference and Golf Hotel on the White River Country Estate in Mpumalanga. Fees: $US3000 (includes tuition and course materials, accommodation and meals, and local travel between venues) [Participants must find their own sponsorship. The course fee does not include travel costs, insurances and incidental expenses] Language: English Closing date: Late applications will be accepted. The number of participants will be restricted to 40. Application forms can be obtained from the secretariat. Pharmacoeconomics Course Secretariat School of Pharmacy, MEDUNSA Pretoria, South Africa +27-12-521 4080 (ph) +27-12-532 3992 (fax) medpharm@mweb.co.za Further information about the course can be obtained from: Suzanne Hill or David Henry WHO Collaborating Centre for Training in Pharmacotherapy and Rational Drug Use Discipline of Clinical Pharmacology University of Newcastle, Australia E-mail: hillsu@mail.newcastle.edu.au or mddah@mail.newcastle.edu.au -- Send mail for the `E-Drug' conference to `e-drug@usa.healthnet.org'. 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