Health Policy and Pharmacoeconomics

Politicas de Saúde e Farmacoeconomia

Curse code:9494529

Filipa da Palma Carlos Alves da Costa Azevedo e Silva

Learning outcomes of the curricular unit:

This CU aims at providing students with the necessary skills and competencies for them to be able to develop functions in the areas of public health, both in national and in international organizations, pharmaceutical industry, drug regulatory agencies. As such, the core competencies for such functions are grouped in 3 modules, for which the educational objectives are described below

Module 1: Policy and Health Administration (PHA)

• Understand the drug cycle and the financing system
• Understand the role of various professionals in the use of medications
• Analyze the effective use of medicines in Portugal

Module 2: International Health (IH)

• Identify the main challenges in international health
• Characterize the components of a health care system and its implications on quality care
• Understand the implications of socio-economic inequalities in health

Module 3: Health Economics and Economic Evaluation (HEEE)

• Understand and be able to use the different methods of economic evaluation used to determine reimbursement
• Understand the process of health technology assessment and the way evidence is valued

Syllabus:

MODULE 1 (PHA):
Will focus on the principles that guide the organisation of the health care systems, and health financing. The principles of accessibility and equity, aside with a discussion on how policy measures may impact on these principles. In-depth analysis of drug policy, namely the drug cycle, access to innovation and drug utilization.

MODULE 2 (IH):
Will introduce the students to the big challenges in international health and the relationships between health and political, social and economic development. Topics will include:
Challenges in IH
Health systems in an international context
Between international and local practices: health determinants

MODULE 3 (HEEE):
Will focus on the methods of economic evaluation used to evaluate health technology, including medicines, medical devices, preventive medicine and professional interventions. The role of organizations (e.g. NICE) and evidence in valuing and decision making. Innovation will be debated in the context of determining the therapeutic added value during reimbursement processes.

Suggested Bibliography:

• Drummond MF, Sculpher MJ, Claxton K, Stoddart GL, Torrance GW (2015) Methods for the Economic Evaluation of Health Care Programmes. 4th ed., Oxford:Oxford University Press.
• Leppo K, Ollila E, Peña S, Wismar M. Cook S (2013) Health in All Policies: Seizing opportunities, implementing policies. Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, Finland.
• OECD (2013), Health at a Glance 2013: OECD Indicators, OECD Publishing. http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/health_glance-2013-en
• WHO (2015). Access to new medicines in Europe: technical review of policy initiatives and opportunities for collaboration and research. WHO Regional Office for Europe.
• Smith F, Francis S-A, Schafheutle E (2008) International Research in Healthcare. Pharmaceutical Press. ISBN 978 0 853697503