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. 2022 Jul 21:11:2022-5-4.
doi: 10.7573/dic.2022-5-4. eCollection 2022.

Drug costs in context: assessing drug costs in cost-of-illness analyses

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Drug costs in context: assessing drug costs in cost-of-illness analyses

T Joseph Mattingly 2nd et al. Drugs Context. .

Abstract

Cost-of-illness (COI) studies attempt to measure and describe the costs associated or attributed to a specific disease, but there are several considerations for measuring and interpreting drug costs estimates. The complexity of the pharmaceutical supply chain and contractual relationships between manufacturers, wholesalers, pharmacies and payers create challenges for researchers attempting to include drug costs in COI analyses. This article aims to provide contextual information for a general audience interested in conducting or evaluating COI studies that may include drug costs and to describe key factors to consider when reviewing drug costs in the peer-reviewed literature.

Keywords: burden-of-illness; cost-of-illness; drug costs; pharmacoeconomics.

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Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure and potential conflicts of interest: TJM reports consultant fees from the Arnold Foundation and PhRMA, all unrelated to this review. TJM also reports research grant support from PhRMA, the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, and the Food and Drug Administration unrelated to this review. The International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) Potential Conflicts of Interests form for the authors is available for download at: https://www.drugsincontext.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/dic.2022-5-4-COI.pdf

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Drug pricing terms along pharmaceutical supply chain with added payer complexity.

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