ASSESSING THE COST-EFFECTIVENESS OF NSAID - AN INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVE

A number of factors may affect the cost effectiveness of treatments an d can cause this to vary by location. These factors include the patien t population, relative price levels, clinical practice patterns and in centives to health professionals and institutions such as hospitals. T his paper illustrates these issues by assessing the relative cost effe ctiveness of 3 nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAID), with diffe rent levels of gastrointestinal side effects, in 3 countries. We concl ude that the relative cost effectiveness of drugs is not only dependen t on drug price but may also vary by country.