THE PHARMACOECONOMICS OF DEMENTIA THERAPIES - BRINGING THE CLINICAL, RESEARCH AND ECONOMIC PERSPECTIVES TOGETHER

Dementia has reached epidemic proportions. The large numbers of people affected and the major impact that this disease has on healthcare cos ts are still not fully appreciated by the general public, governments or healthcare providers. Prevalence rates are expected to continue to escalate because of the dramatic aging of the population in many natio ns. This could create serious economic problems for already strained h ealthcare systems around the world. Fortunately, medications suitable for widespread use appear to be on the horizon. As therapies are devel oped, it will be necessary to assess their impact on individuals, heal thcare systems and societies. The latter two refer to pharmacoeconomic research, an area in which a careful examination of issues central to the design and interpretation of such analyses must now be undertaken . This article outlines the critical components in the application of pharmacoeconomic methodology to the field of dementia research. Specif ically, the accuracy of a pharmacoeconomic study is affected by the pr evalence data and the economic methodology used. The outcome measures used in efficacy, effectiveness and pharmacoeconomic studies must be c arefully chosen to ensure that they are valid, reliable and sensitive to change. These measures must also be meaningful to patients, familie s and clinicians. In the future, dementia therapies may prevent, delay , curl or slow the progression of the disease, and may also help contr ol symptoms. It is important to study the impact of these effects from the perspectives of the patient, family and society. Dementias are im portant in terms of the number of people affected and the degree of su ffering experienced, as well as the considerable financial burdens pla ced on families and society. Pharmacoeconomic analyses will have a sig nificant influence on healthcare decisions affecting people with demen tia. To ensure that these future decisions are in the best interests o f patients, families and society, clinical knowledge of dementias must be incorporated into the design of pharmacoeconomic studies. Collabor ation between clinicians, researchers and economists is essential in a ssessing future pharmacotherapies for dementing illnesses.