Biomedical subjects

W D Reekie

Publications and source records attributed to W D Reekie.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1998

How competition lowers the costs of medicines.

This paper examines whether there are any economic advantages in allowing entry to pharmaceutical markets at the manufacturers' risk and at prices of their choosing. To examine this thesis, 6 countries (the US, the UK, Denmark, Holland, Germany and South Africa) were chosen for study because they allow a degree of free access and (varying) degrees of pricing freedom, at least to the extent that new product prices are not directly controlled. In just about every other European market, there are direct price controls on new products. The key finding was that, in markets where there is some semblance of pricing freedom, competition tends to keep down the price of medicines. Rival products serve a useful purpose in containing market prices. Since innovative rivalry is a sine qua non in pharmaceutical markets, this price-depressing competitive influence should be allowed to have its full effect and not be distorted or suppressed by regulation at the level of either the pharmaceutical manufacturer or the retail pharmacist.

Drug Costs↗

PubMed1995

The costs and benefits of a vaccination programme for Haemophilus influenzae type B disease.

Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) infection is a major cause of severe bacterial infection in young children in South Africa and world-wide. These diseases can be prevented by immunisation with conjugate Hib vaccines. In South Africa, unlike some developed countries, Hib vaccines are not part of the routine immunisation schedule. The objective of this study was to measure the expected net benefits from a hypothetical programme of vaccination of the 1992 Cape Town birth cohort (N = 46,537). Costs were calculated by summing the estimated direct medical care costs together with the indirect costs of Hib disease. The latter were calculated by valuing human life using alternative, and conservative human capital and willingness-to-pay measures. The difference between Hib disease costs (i.e. the benefits which would be gained from a successful vaccination programme) and the costs of the vaccination programme itself (HibTITER, Praxis Biologicals) defined the expected net benefits. In the absence of an immunisation programme, the estimated economic costs of Hib disease in the 1992 Cape Town cohort ranged from R10.7 million to R11.8 million. The costs of introducing the vaccine would have amounted to R8.3 million. Had the vaccine been administered to the 1992 birth cohort, benefits would have exceeded costs by between R2.4 million and R3.5 million.

Bacterial Proteins↗

PubMed1994

Cost-effectiveness as a guide to pricing a new pharmaceutical product.

This paper applies cost-effectiveness analysis to a major clinical innovation. Using a structured survey of professional judgements to obtain estimates of research costs associated with its use, the analysis suggests that a premium price for the drug decided on by the manufacturer would be justified on the grounds that it could provide substantial cost savings. The results obtained appeared sensitive neither to variations in the cost assumptions, nor to alternative definitions of effectiveness. In general, ex ante economic evaluation of a new medicine before price setting is shown to be both feasible and informative.

Cost-Benefit Analysis↗

PubMed1988

South African health care and the proprietary medicine industry.

A large-scale national sample survey was conducted to assess the health and sickness profiles of the population by conventional demographic parameters. The objective was to ascertain how people treated particular ailments and in particular how and when they used proprietary medicines and other self-medication alternatives rather than a professional medical practitioner. The attitudes to self-medication by the respondents were largely positive. Self-selected treatments were perceived to be successful. A panel of physicians was asked to comment on the medical suitability of the ailments chosen for self-treatment and of the medicines selected. People were deemed generally to administer self-medication responsibly and sensibly and in the case of more serious ailments did, correctly, consult professionals.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1987

Savings from generic drug substitution in the RSA--is its cost justified?

The causes of the recent rapid increases in health care costs in the RSA are briefly studied. Drug costs have increased largely through the use of new innovations, greater usage and price factors, but price increases have been below the rate of inflation. The savings in drug costs to be expected from the introduction of generic substitution have been calculated to be low in relation to overall health care costs, although of significance in relation to the survival of individual drug manufacturing businesses. The thrust towards generic substitution is possibly misplaced in that the potential savings in hospitalisation costs from the discovery of new drugs are so large that they justify the encouragement of the innovative drug manufacturers.

Cost Control↗

PubMed1976

Drug costs.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Cost-Benefit Analysis↗