PHARMACOECONOMICS - WHERE IS THE LINK WITH PHARMACOKINETICS AND BIOPHARMACEUTICS

Several, mainly macroeconomic factors are putting increasing pressure on health care budgets. These budget constraints lead to cost containm ent measures by all partners involved in health care. Pharmacotheraph, too, is facing an increasing involvement in health economics or outco mes research. This paper will first deal with some basic principles of pharmacoeconomics. The relationship with pharmacokinetics and biophar maceutics has perhaps not yet been an issue as such, though it should be pointed out that they play a key role in the efficiency of drug use . Many of the basic R&D investments aimed at developing cost-effective medicines should be founded on adequate pharmacokinetics. Also a rati onal use of drugs in practice can be achieved by adequate drug monitor ing, resulting in a gain in cost-effectiveness. Last, but not least, p harmacokinetics and biopharmaceutics can offer opportunities for the r ational use of new or existing pharmaceutical products and for the mai ntenance of a sufficient market share. Some of these more technical as pects are discussed in the second part of this presentation.