Linked Life Data

16203824

Source:http://linkedlifedata.com/resource/pubmed/id/16203824

Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
11
pubmed:dateCreated
2005-10-19
pubmed:abstractText
Ultra-orphan drugs are medicines used to treat exceptionally rare diseases that are chronically debilitating or life-threatening. Low patient numbers make it difficult for pharmaceutical companies to recoup research and development costs, and consequently these medicines are generally expensive on a per patient basis. European Union (EU) regulations promote the development of orphan drugs; but to contain costs, some EU healthcare systems assess the cost-effectiveness of therapies when deciding if they should be funded. As ultra-orphan drugs are invariably cost-ineffective, factors in addition to cost-effectiveness need to be considered if ultra-orphan drugs are to be provided by public health services. Health service funding of ultra-orphan drugs, which varies across the EU and within the UK, has led to geographical inequities in patients' access to treatment. In some instances, support for these drugs would appear to have been approved on the basis that diseases that are rare and severe are a special case. We explore whether ultra-orphan drugs merit special status by considering efficiency, effectiveness and equity criteria. Mechanisms are discussed for creating a policy that would reduce geographical inequalities in provision across Europe.
pubmed:commentsCorrections
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Nov
pubmed:issn
1460-2725
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:volume
98
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
829-36
pubmed:dateRevised
2006-11-15
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
2005
pubmed:articleTitle
Drugs for exceptionally rare diseases: do they deserve special status for funding?
pubmed:affiliation
Centre for Economics and Policy in Health, Institute of Medical and Social Care Research, University of Wales, Bangor, UK. d.a.hughes@bangor.ac.uk
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Review, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't