Pharmacoeconomics of hypertension control: basic principles of economic evaluation
Wilson, T.W.; Chockalingam, A.; Quest, D.W.
Journal of Human Hypertension 10(Suppl 2): S19-S22
1996
ISSN/ISBN: 0950-9240 PMID: 8868039 Document Number: 456172
Pharmacoeconomics, the science of assigning costs and outcomes of drug therapy can be applied to antihypertensive drug therapy. There are five principle tools: cost identification, cost minimization, cost benefit, cost effectiveness and cost utility. If only drug aquisition costs are considered, there are marked differences among antihypertensive drug classes. These differences become less marked when the costs per quality adjusted life year are calculated. Often, differences among patients rather than differences among drug prices account for the bulk of variation.