[Efficiency of influenza vaccination in the working population in Spain]. / Evaluación de la eficiencia de la vacunación antigripal en la población laboral española.

INTRODUCTION: Influenza is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Currently, licensed influenza vaccines are safe and effective. Any intervention aimed at reducing the burden of illness is worth analyzing from a clinical and economic perspective. OBJECTIVE: To assess the costs and benefits of an influenza vaccination program in the Spanish working population. METHODS: A theoretical model of costs and benefits in terms of productivity savings was developed to compare 2 strategies (vaccination and non-vaccination) in 2 cohorts of 1,000 workers each. The time horizon was 1 year and the study's perspective was societal. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: epidemiological and clinical data on the incidence of influenza and the effectiveness of the vaccine. Data on the use of direct and indirect resources were obtained from an expert panel of 5 experts in preventive medicine, microbiology, occupational health, and health economics. Unit costs (euros 2003) were extracted from local databases. A sensitivity analysis was performed with the data on incidence, effectiveness, and work absenteeism due to influenza. RESULTS: In the base case scenario, influenza vaccine saved 35 Euros per worker, of which 88% were savings in work loss days avoided. Threshold values in the sensitivity analysis were 6% for the incidence of influenza and 1.5 days for absence from work, above which the vaccine leads to net savings. CONCLUSIONS: Influenza vaccination in the Spanish working population might result in net resource savings to society at large.

Evaluación de la eficiencia de la vacunación antigripal en la población laboral española / Efficiency of influenza vaccination in the working population in Spain

Introducción: La gripe es la mayor causa de morbimortalidad en el mundo. Actualmente, las vacunas contra la gripe son efectivas y seguras. Las intervenciones que reduzcan la carga de la enfermedad deben analizarse desde el punto de vista clínico y económico. Objetivos: Evaluar la eficiencia de un programa de vacunación contra la gripe en la población laboral española. Métodos: Modelo teórico de análisis de costes y beneficios en términos de ahorro para una cohorte de 1.000 trabajadores entre 16 y 65 años de edad vacunada, y otra no vacunada, a 1 año desde la perspectiva social. Intervenciones: vacunación contra la gripe respecto a no vacunación. Mediciones principales: datos epidemiológicos y clínicos de incidencia de gripe y efectividad de la vacuna. Datos de uso de recursos directos (de atención primaria y especializada) e indirectos obtenidos por consenso de 5 expertos en medicina preventiva, microbiología, medicina del trabajo y economía de la salud. Datos de costes unitarios (euros de 2003). Se realizó un análisis de sensibilidad con la incidencia de gripe, la efectividad de la vacuna y los días de ausencia del trabajo por gripe. Resultados: En el escenario base, la vacuna permite ahorrar 35 euros netos por trabajador (el 88% corresponde al ahorro en pérdidas de productividad evitadas). El análisis de sensibilidad indica que los valores umbral de incidencia de gripe y de ausencia del trabajo son del 6% y de 1,5 días, respectivamente, a partir de los cuales la vacunación se asocia con el ahorro neto. Conclusiones: Vacunar contra la gripe a la población laboral española puede comportar un ahorro neto a la sociedad

Introduction: Influenza is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Currently, licensed influenza vaccines are safe and effective. Any intervention aimed at reducing the burden of illness is worth analyzing from a clinical and economic perspective. Objective: To assess the costs and benefits of an influenza vaccination program in the Spanish working population. Methods: A theoretical model of costs and benefits in terms of productivity savings was developed to compare 2 strategies (vaccination and non-vaccination) in 2 cohorts of 1,000 workers each. The time horizon was 1 year and the study's perspective was societal. Main outcome measures: epidemiological and clinical data on the incidence of influenza and the effectiveness of the vaccine. Data on the use of direct and indirect resources were obtained from an expert panel of 5 experts in preventive medicine, microbiology, occupational health, and health economics. Unit costs (euros 2003) were extracted from local databases. A sensitivity analysis was performed with the data on incidence, effectiveness, and work absenteeism due to influenza. Results: In the base case scenario, influenza vaccine saved 35 Euros per worker, of which 88% were savings in work loss days avoided. Threshold values in the sensitivity analysis were 6% for the incidence of influenza and 1.5 days for absence from work, above which the vaccine leads to net savings. Conclusions: Influenza vaccination in the Spanish working population might result in net resource savings to society at large

Cost-effectiveness analysis of PMMA, silicone, or acrylic intra-ocular lenses in cataract surgery in four European countries.

PURPOSE: To compare the cost-effectiveness of different intra-ocular lens (IOL) materials (Hydrophobic acrylic, Polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), Hydrophilic acrylic and Silicone) implanted after cataract surgery with reference to Nd:YAG laser capsulotomy and Nd:YAG-related complications in four European countries (France, Italy, Germany and Spain). SETTING: A retrospective review of 1,525 patients (eyes), aged 50 to 80 years, operated with phacoemulsification for cataract in 1996 or 1997 in 16 surgical centres (4 per country). METHODS: The study was conducted using a cost-effectiveness approach. Medical charts were reviewed to collect retrospective information during the 3-year period following cataract surgery in order to identify patients who underwent Nd:YAG laser capsulotomy post-operatively. Clinical data were combined with unit costs assessed by experts for Nd:YAG laser capsulotomy and their complications. A cost-effectiveness ratio (cost per patient without Nd:YAG laser capsulotomy intervention) was estimated in relation to each IOL material used in each of the four European countries. RESULTS: Hydrophobic acrylic, specifically Acrysof, was the most cost-effective IOL material in all the countries except Germany where it was second. PMMA had the best ratio in Germany, was second in Spain and only third in Italy and France. Silicone was second in France and ranked third in the other countries, while hydrophilic acrylic had the worst ratio overall in all countries. CONCLUSIONS: Cost-effectiveness ratios of hydrophobic acrylic (Acrysof) were better than those of other types of IOL materials used in most of the countries. Sensitivity analyses were performed to vary the base case analysis to demonstrate the economic importance of the assumptions. In all cases, hydrophobic acrylic IOL material was shown to be a highly cost-effective option.

The burden of migraine in Spain: beyond direct costs.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the economic burden of migraine in Spain, from the societal perspective. METHODS: The Spanish 2001 annual direct (pharmacy, primary care, specialist and emergency room visits) and indirect (missed workdays and reduced work performance) costs were calculated using the prevalence approach. The human-capital method was used to calculate indirect costs. The sources used were published epidemiological and resource use studies using the International Headache Society diagnostic criteria from official and unofficial databases. RESULTS: The Spanish population with migraine was estimated to be 3,617,600 patients, 92.5% being of a working age. The economic burden of migraine was about euro 1076 million. The direct costs represented only 32.0% of the total burden (euro 344 million), 39.2% being for primary care visits, 28.7% for specialist visits, 20.5% for emergency room visits and a further 11.7% for migraine-specific prescription drugs (serotonin 5-HT(1B/1D) receptor agonists [triptans] 10.8%, ergots 0.9%). The indirect cost was estimated at euro 732 million annually, representing euro 453.55 per working patient with migraine. CONCLUSIONS: As in many other developed countries, migraine represents a considerable economic burden in Spain, especially in terms of productivity losses. Therefore, activities should be specifically directed at reducing the indirect costs, and effective treatments, which significantly reduce productivity losses, should be publicly promoted.

Integrated health outcomes research strategies in drug or medical device development, pre- and postmarketing: time for change.

The implementation of health outcomes research as a healthcare decision-making tool has expanded rapidly in the last decade. Drugs and medical devices are increasingly being required to demonstrate not only their efficacy and safety characteristics, but also their performance in at least three core dimensions of health outcomes research: clinical effectiveness, patient-reported outcomes and economic outcomes. However, the current integration of health outcomes research lacks coordination and communication and as a result, money and time is being spent on the generation of health outcomes research data which can be both insufficient and fail to satisfy the information demands of all the relevant stakeholders. In response to this, a new paradigm is evolving which involves the implementation of health outcomes research strategies that encompass the development, pre- and postmarketing stages of a drug or medical device.