Question 1

Many European countries are now requiring that data for an economic evaluation be collected simultaneously during the clinical trials conducted for pharmaceutical approval.This practice is so common that it is being referred to as

A)the fourth hurdle
B)pharmacoeconomics
C)clinical economics
D)phase III economics
E)CE trials

the fourth hurdle

Accepted Answer

The term "the fourth hurdle" refers to the requirement for economic evaluation data to be collected alongside clinical trials for pharmaceutical approval, in addition to the traditional three hurdles of quality, safety, and efficacy.

Question 2

The standard cut-off for cost per QALY is&#10;A)equal to per capita income&#10;B)2 times per capita income&#10;C)3 times per capita income&#10;D)4 times per capita income&#10;E)5 times per capita income

Accepted Answer

2 times per capita income

Question 3

When measuring effectiveness of a treatment, surrogate measures reflect clinical efficacy and include&#10;A)recurrence of the disease&#10;B)death&#10;C)bone-mass density (BMD)&#10;D)hip fractures&#10;E)scores on standard evaluative exams such as EuroQol or SF-36

Accepted Answer

Bone-mass density (BMD) is a surrogate measure that reflects clinical efficacy by indicating the density of bones, which can be improved by various treatments for conditions such as osteoporosis. Recurrence of the disease (A) and death (B) are direct clinical outcomes, while hip fractures (D) can also be considered direct clinical outcomes but often result from low BMD. Scores on standard evaluative exams (E) may reflect quality of life or patient satisfaction, but may not directly measure clinical efficacy.

Question 4

The intangible costs associated with reduced quality of life include&#10;A)Pain and suffering&#10;B)Lost productivity at work&#10;C)The cost of home remodeling to accommodate a physical handicap&#10;D)Potential income lost due to premature death&#10;E)All of the above are intangible costs

Accepted Answer

Pain and suffering are considered intangible costs as they cannot be easily quantified or measured in monetary terms, unlike lost productivity or remodeling costs.

Question 5

Researchers estimate QALYs in a number of different ways.One popular approach is called&#10;A)the probability approach&#10;B)the QoL approach&#10;C)the standard gamble&#10;D)the standard measure of well-being&#10;E)the utility of life approach

Accepted Answer

The standard gamble is a method used to estimate Quality-Adjusted Life Years (QALYs) by assessing an individual's preference for different health states, incorporating risk and uncertainty.

Question 6

The direct costs in an economic evaluation include the all the following except&#10;A)hospitalization&#10;B)medical devices&#10;C)transportation to and from the physician's office&#10;D)reduced productivity at work&#10;E)All of the above

Accepted Answer

Reduced productivity at work is considered an indirect cost, not a direct cost, in economic evaluations. Direct costs typically include expenses directly related to medical treatment, such as hospitalization, medical devices, and transportation.

Question 7

The first country to require standardized cost-effectiveness analysis before a pharmaceutical drug would be approved for distribution and reimbursement was&#10;A)the UK&#10;B)France&#10;C)Sweden&#10;D)Norway&#10;E)Australia

Accepted Answer

Australia was the first country to require standardized cost-effectiveness analysis for pharmaceuticals before approval for distribution and reimbursement.

Question 8

Which of the following measures of effectiveness is not a surrogate measure?&#10;A)Cholesterol level&#10;B)Blood pressure&#10;C)Tumor size&#10;D)Hip fracture&#10;E)Bone-mass density (BMD)

Accepted Answer

Hip fracture is not a surrogate measure as it is a direct and clinically relevant outcome. Cholesterol levels, blood pressure, tumor size, and bone-mass density (BMD) are all surrogate measures as they are intermediate markers of disease or health status, but not the ultimate outcome of interest.

Question 9

Researchers use cost-of-illness studies to&#10;A)study the burden of a disease&#10;B)determine the low-cost option to treat a disease&#10;C)compare two or more treatment options when the medical outcome is identical&#10;D)increase public awareness of cost of treating certain diseases&#10;E)All of the above

Accepted Answer

The answer of Researchers use cost-of-illness studies to&#10;A)study the burden...

Question 10

Suppose you are asked to use the standard time trade-off approach to measuring quality of life and are given the following information.An individual is faced with living the remaining 10 years of her life suffering from severe osteoporosis.She reveals that she would be willing to give up four of those years to live the remaining six in perfect health.What is the utility of one year in the chronic health state relative to perfect health?

A)4
B)6
C)0.4
D)0.6
E)There is not enough information to determine the utility of life in this case

Accepted Answer

The utility of one year in the chronic health state is calculated by dividing the number of years in perfect health (6) by the total number of years in the chronic state (10), resulting in a utility of 0.6.

Deck 4: Economic Evaluation in Health Care