Dr Paul Tappenden as Guest Editor on themed issue of PharmacoEconomics - 'Improving transparency in decision models'

Dr Paul Tappenden

Dr Paul Tappenden has taken on the role of Guest Editor for a themed issue of PharmacoEconomics on the topic of improving transparency in decision models. Details of the call are available here - https://adisintouch.com/2018/07/12/pec-cfp-july18/

PharmacoEconomics invites the submission of papers (original research, reviews and opinion pieces) on improving transparency in decision models for a themed issue of the journal to be published in 2019. Dr Tappenden will be joined by fellow guest editor Jaime Caro (London School of Economics and McGill University). We encourage papers from the perspectives of a variety of stakeholders including methodologists, payers, health technology assessment bodies, analysts, pharmaceutical industry, advocacy groups and software developers. Country-specific perspectives are also encouraged. Papers can be either methodological or applied.

Topics of interest include:
Why the need for change?
Advantages and disadvantages of transparency
What would an ideal world look like?
Challenges and solutions in moving to a more transparent world
Current open source and transparency initiatives
Software programs and hosting platforms
Economic evaluations using open source models
Methods and techniques for transparent model programming (e.g. housekeeping, colour coding, separating inputs, calculations and outputs, breaking up formulae, other approaches)
Protecting intellectual property rights and funding in an open source world
Please submit an abstract describing your proposed paper by September 30th, 2018 to chris.carswell@springer.com. Full papers will be invited by October 30th 2018 and manuscripts due early 2019.

© Adis

New methods paper on Sampling Ordered Parameters in Probabilistic Sensitivity Analysis

Dr. Shijie Ren

Dr. Shijie Ren (also known as Kate Ren) has recently published a paper with some colleagues from HEDS and the University of Glasgow proposing a new method of sampling ordered parameters for use in cost-effectiveness analysis. Their new approach, known as the difference method (DM), is designed to address the difficulties of sampling parameters with a constraint in probabilistic sensitivity analysis, e.g., sampling utility associated with different severity levels of a disease.

Dr. Ren, who specialises in the application of Bayesian methods in health economics, argues that “Typical sampling approaches often lack either statistical or clinical validity.  For example, sampling using a common number generator results in extreme dependence, and independent sampling can lead to realisations with incorrect ordering.”

The DM approach uses a “difference parameter” to sample the parameters of interest; a method which generates ordered parameters with greater validity for use in probabilistic sensitivity analysis.

The article, published in Pharmacoeconomics, is available open-access and can be found (along with a Microsoft Excel workbook to implement the method) at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s40273-017-0584-3

HEDS research as a special edition of PharmacoEconomics

HEDS have contributed no-less than nine articles to a comprehensive compilation for a PharmacoEconomics special edition. The papers are robust recommendations in sourcing and using appropriate health state utility values in economic models in health care. 

© Springer

They are intended as a reference source for state of the art evidence on good practice across the full spectrum of needs associated with health state utility values that inform decision analytic models. The articles cover international regulations for utility values for health technology assessment, generic preference-based measures, condition-specific preference-based measures, identifying, reviewing and synthesizing utility values from the literature, mapping, collecting utility values in clinical studies, using utility values in decision models, and estimating utility values for comorbidities. The papers have emerged from a collaboration between academics at Sheffield University and experts from industry (at Takeda Pharmaceuticals). 

Andrew Lloyd who wrote the editorial for the special edition said: "This is an informative set of papers that will be useful for anyone working in the fields of pharmacoeconomics and health technology assessment."

The nine papers were authored by Professor John Brazier, Dr Donna Rowen, Roberta Ara, Dr Clara Mukuria, Dr Tessa Peasgood, Dr Tracey Young, Dr Suzy Paisley alongside external collaborators.

The Use of Mapping to Estimate Health State Utility Values

The Role of Condition-Specific Preference-Based Measures in Health Technology Assessment

Estimating Health State Utility Values for Comorbidities

Sourcing and Using Appropriate Health State Utility Values in Economic Models in Health Care

International Regulations and Recommendations for Utility Data for Health Technology Assessment

A Review of Generic Preference-Based Measures for Use in Cost-Effectiveness Models

Recommended Methods for the Collection of Health State Utility Value Evidence in Clinical Studies

The Use of Health State Utility Values in Decision Models

The Identification, Review and Synthesis of Health State Utility Values from the Literature