Ambulatory knee arthroscopic surgery yields cost savings and improved health outcomes.

PURPOSE: This study measured the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and costs and conducted a cost-utility analysis and budget impact analysis of ambulatory knee arthroscopic surgery compared with inpatient knee arthroscopic surgery in Thailand from a societal perspective. METHODS: Health outcomes were measured in units of quality-adjusted life year (QALY) based on the Thai version of the EQ-5D-5L Health Questionnaire, and costs were obtained from an electronic database at a tertiary care hospital (Ramathibodi Hospital). A cost-utility analysis was performed to evaluate ambulatory and inpatient surgery using the societal perspective and a 2-week time horizon. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio was applied to examine the costs and QALYs. One-way sensitivity analysis was used to investigate the robustness of the model. Budget impact analysis was performed considering over 5 years. RESULTS: A total of 161 knee arthroscopic patients were included and divided into two groups: ambulatory surgery (58 patients) and inpatient surgery (103 patients). The total cost of the inpatient surgery was 2235 United States dollars (USD), while the ambulatory surgery cost was 2002 USD. The QALYs of inpatient surgery and ambulatory surgery were 0.79 and 0.81, respectively, resulting in the ambulatory surgery becoming a dominant strategy (cost reduction of 233 USD with an increase of 0.02 QALY) over the inpatient surgery. The ambulatory surgery led to net savings of 4.5 million USD over 5 years. Medical supply costs are one of the most influential factors affecting the change in results. CONCLUSION: Ambulatory knee arthroscopic surgery emerged as a cost-saving strategy over inpatient surgery, driven by lower treatment costs and enhanced HRQoL. Budget impact analysis indicated net savings over 5 years, supporting the feasibility of adopting ambulatory knee arthroscopic surgery. Our findings were advocated for its application across diverse hospitals and informed policymakers to improve reimbursement systems in low- to middle-income countries and Thailand. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV.

Using a discrete choice experiment to elicit patients' preferences and willingness-to-pay for knee osteoarthritis treatments in Thailand.

Osteoarthritis is the most common type of joint disease among elderly patients around the world. In response to the need for patient-centered care, patients' and physicians' preferences for knee osteoarthritis treatments have been studied in multiple countries, but not in Thailand. The objective of this study was to investigate Thai patients' preferences and their willingness to pay (WTP) for knee osteoarthritis treatments by using a discrete choice experiment (DCE). Six knee osteoarthritis treatment attributes, including pain relief, delayed disease progression, gastrointestinal side effects, kidney side effects, cardiovascular side effects, and cost, were used to develop a paper-based, DCE questionnaire survey. Patients with knee osteoarthritis, who were at least 18 years old and who provided written informed consent, were recruited from the orthopedic department in a tertiary care hospital in Thailand via convenience sampling. The conditional logit model was used to determine patients' preferences and WTP. The Institutional Review Board at Chulalongkorn University approved this study before it started. A total of 232 patients were collected and analyzed in this study. Patients preferred treatments with a higher efficacy (pain relief and delayed disease progression), a lower probability of side effects (gastrointestinal, kidney, and cardiovascular side effects), and a lower cost. Regarding efficacy and side effects, the patients weighted the importance of a 1% change in cardiovascular side effects (- 0.08) more heavily than 1% changes in kidney (- 0.07) and gastrointestinal (- 0.02) side effects, delayed disease progression (0.02), and pain relief (0.01). Patients were willing to pay 29.56 Thai Baht (THB) and 41.84 THB per month for every 1% increase in pain relief and delayed disease progression, respectively. Conversely, patients were willing to pay 52.04 THB, 145.18 THB and 164.23 THB per month for every 1% decrease in gastrointestinal, kidney, and cardiovascular side effects, respectively. In conclusion, pain relief, delayed disease progression, gastrointestinal side effects, kidney side effects, cardiovascular side effects, and the cost of treatment were significant factors among patients undergoing knee osteoarthritis treatment. Additionally, patients had a higher WTP for delayed disease progression than pain relief and a higher WTP for a reduced probability of cardiovascular side effects than gastrointestinal and kidney side effects. These findings could be used to support treatment decisions for knee osteoarthritis patients in Thailand.

Randomized controlled trial and cost-effectiveness analysis: Comparing chlorhexidine scrub, ZnO-nanoparticle socks, and their combination in pitted keratolysis treatment.

A cost-effective treatment for pitted keratolysis (PK) is the use of 4% chlorhexidine scrub. Zinc oxide nanoparticle (ZnO-NP)-coated socks have also shown efficacy in PK prevention. In this study, we aimed to assess the cost-effectiveness and safety of combined 4% chlorhexidine scrub and ZnO-NP-coated sock treatment compared to monotherapy. This randomized, controlled trial included 60 male security guards and hospital porters aged ≥18 with PK. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three treatment groups: 4% chlorhexidine scrub, ZnO-NP-coated socks, or combination therapy. Treatment outcomes were evaluated after 4 weeks. Incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) were calculated using cost-utility analysis. The greatest reduction in visual analog scale scores for foot odor was observed in the combination therapy group, but it was nonsignificant (P = 0.186). Clinical improvement was observed across all groups. The cost-utility analysis revealed that chlorhexidine scrub and regular socks were the least expensive options. The placebo and ZnO-NP-coated sock group had an ICER of US $31 082/quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) gain, while the combination therapy gained US $45 105/QALYs compared to the chlorhexidine scrub and regular sock group. Based on our findings, for the treatment of PK, 4% chlorhexidine scrub remains the most cost-effective choice.

Antivenom preclinical efficacy testing against Asian snakes and their availability in Asia: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Cross-neutralizing strategy has been applied to improve access to antivenoms, a key to reducing mortality and disability of snakebite envenoming. However, preclinical studies have been conducted to identify antivenoms' cross-neutralizing ability when clinical studies may not be considered ethical. Therefore, this study aimed to identify and summarize scattered evidence regarding the preclinical efficacy of antivenoms against Asian snakes. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPLE FINDINGS: In this systematic review, we searched for articles published until May 30, 2022, in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Embase. Preclinical studies that reported the available antivenoms' neutralizing ability against Asian snake lethality were included. Quality assessment was performed using the Systematic Review Centre for Laboratory animal Experimentation's risk of bias tool and the adapted the Animal Research Reporting In Vivo Experiments guidelines. The availability of effective antivenoms against Asian snakes was analyzed by comparing data from included studies with snakebite-information and data platforms developed by the World Health Organization. Fifty-two studies were included. Most studies assessed the antivenom efficacy against snakes from Southeast Asia (58%), followed by South Asia (35%) and East Asia (19%). Twenty-two (49%) medically important snakes had antivenom(s) with confirmed neutralizing ability. Situation analyses of the availability of effective antivenoms in Asia demonstrated that locally produced antivenoms did not cover all medically important snakes in each country. Among countries without local antivenom production, preclinical studies were conducted only in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Malaysia. Risk of bias assessment was limited in some domains because of unreported data. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Cross-neutralizing of antivenoms against some medically important snakes in Asia was confirmed. This strategy may improve access to geographically effective antivenoms and bypass investment in novel antivenom development, especially in countries without local antivenom production. A database should be developed to aid the development of a snakebite-information system.

Impact of prescription length supply policy on patient medication adherence in Thailand.

BACKGROUND: Phramongkutklao Hospital is one of the largest military hospitals in Thailand. Beginning in 2016, an institutional policy was implemented in which medication prescription length was increased from 30 to 90 days. However, there have been no formal investigations into how this policy has impacted medication adherence among patients in hospitals. As such, this study evaluated how prescription length impacted medication adherence among dyslipidemia and type-2 diabetes patients who were treated at Phramongkutklao Hospital. METHODS: This pre-post implementation study compared patients who received prescription lengths of 30 and 90 days based on information recorded in the hospital database between 2014 and 2017. Therein, we used the medication possession ratio (MPR) to estimate patient adherence. Focusing on patients with universal coverage insurance, we employed the difference-in-difference method to examine changes in adherence from before and after policy implementation, then conducted a logistic regression to test for associations between the predictors and adherence. RESULTS: We analyzed data from a total of 2,046 patients, with equal amounts of 1,023 placed into the control group (no change to 90-day prescription length) and intervention group (change from 30 to 90-day prescription length). First, we found that increased prescription length was associated with 4% and 5% higher MPRs among dyslipidemia and diabetes patients in the intervention group, respectively. Second, we found that medication adherence was correlated with sex, comorbidities, history of hospitalization, and the number of prescribed medications. CONCLUSION: Increasing the prescription length from 30 to 90 days improved medication adherence in both the dyslipidemia and type-2 diabetes patients. This shows that the policy change was successful for patients in the hospital considered for this study.

Preclinical evaluation of immunogenicity, efficacy and safety of a recombinant plant-based SARS-CoV-2 RBD vaccine formulated with 3M-052-Alum adjuvant.

Cost-effective, and accessible vaccines are needed for mass immunization to control the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC).A plant-based vaccine is an attractive technology platform since the recombinant proteins can be easily produced at large scale and low cost. For the recombinant subunit-based vaccines, effective adjuvants are crucial to enhance the magnitude and breadth of immune responses elicited by the vaccine. In this study, we report a preclinical evaluation of the immunogenicity, efficacy and safety of a recombinant plant-based SARS-CoV-2 RBD vaccine formulated with 3M-052 (TLR7/8 agonist)-Alum adjuvant. This vaccine formulation, named Baiya SARS-CoV-2 Vax 2, induced significant levels of RBD-specific IgG and neutralizing antibody responses in mice. A viral challenge study using humanized K18-hACE2 mice has shown that animals vaccinated with two doses of Baiya SARS-CoV-2 Vax 2 established immune protection against SARS-CoV-2. A study in nonhuman primates (cynomolgus monkeys) indicated that immunization with two doses of Baiya SARS-CoV-2 Vax 2 was safe, well tolerated, and induced neutralizing antibodies against the prototype virus and other viral variants (Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, and Omicron subvariants). The toxicity of Baiya SARS-CoV-2 Vax 2 was further investigated in Jcl:SD rats, which demonstrated that a single dose and repeated doses of Baiya SARS-CoV-2 Vax 2 were well tolerated and no mortality or unanticipated findings were observed. Overall, these preclinical findings support further clinical development of Baiya SARS-CoV-2 Vax 2.

Potential economic and clinical implications of improving access to snake antivenom in five ASEAN countries: A cost-effectiveness analysis.

BACKGROUND: Despite domestic production of antivenoms in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries, not all victims with snakebite envenomings indicated for antivenom received the appropriate or adequate effective dose of antivenom due to insufficient supply and inadequate access to antivenoms. We aimed to conduct a cost-effectiveness analysis to project the potential economic and clinical impact of improving access to antivenoms when all snakebite envenomings in ASEAN countries were hypothetically treated with geographically appropriate antivenoms. METHODOLOGY: Using a decision analytic model with input parameters from published literature, local data, and expert opinion, we projected the impact of "full access" (100%) to antivenom, compared to "current access" in five most impacted ASEAN countries, including Indonesia (10%), Philippines (26%), Vietnam (37%), Lao PDR (4%), and Myanmar (64%), from a societal perspective with a lifetime time horizon. Sensitivity analyses were performed. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In base-case analyses, full access compared to current access to snake antivenom in the five countries resulted in a total of 9,362 deaths averted (-59%), 230,075 disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) averted (-59%), and cost savings of 1.3 billion USD (-53%). Incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) of improving access to antivenom found higher outcomes but lower costs in all countries. Probabilistic sensitivity analyses of 1,000 iterations found that 98.1-100% of ICERs were cost-saving. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE: Improving access to snake antivenom will result in cost-saving for ASEAN countries. Our findings emphasized the importance of further strengthening regional cooperation, investment, and funding to improve the situation of snakebite victims in ASEAN countries.

An economic evaluation of knee osteoarthritis treatments in Thailand.

Objective: The objective of this study is to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of different knee OA care sequences compared to standard treatment reimbursed by the major health insurance payer in Thailand. Method: We used decision analytical modeling to evaluate the effect of either adding etoricoxib or crystalline glucosamine sulfate compared to standard treatment from a societal perspective over patients' lifetimes. Data were analyzed based on efficacy, whereas adverse events were considered as a substate. Model input data were retrieved from relevant published literature and the Standard Cost Lists for Health Technology Assessment, Thailand. All health outcomes were measured in a unit of quality-adjusted life-year (QALY). An incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) was applied to examine the costs and QALYs. Sensitivity analysis was performed to investigate the robustness of the model. Result: The results demonstrated that adding crystalline glucosamine sulfate (before diclofenac plus proton pump inhibitors, PPI) into the standard care sequence was a dominant strategy compared to the standard care sequence. Adding etoricoxib alone or including crystalline glucosamine sulfate (after diclofenac plus PPI) was dominated by adding crystalline glucosamine sulfate (before diclofenac plus PPI), whereas in a willingness-to-pay (WTP) threshold in Thailand, adding of both crystalline glucosamine sulfate (before diclofenac plus PPI) and etoricoxib were cost-effective when compared to adding crystalline glucosamine sulfate alone with ICER of 125,547 Thai baht/QALY (3,472 US dollars/QALY). Conclusion: The addition of crystalline glucosamine sulfate and etoricoxib into standard knee OA treatment were cost-effective at the WTP threshold in Thailand. In addition, early initiation of crystalline glucosamine sulfate would be less costly and more effective than delayed treatment or the use of standard treatment alone.

Estimating economic and disease burden of snakebite in ASEAN countries using a decision analytic model.

BACKGROUND: Understanding the burden of snakebite is crucial for developing evidence-informed strategies to pursue the goal set by the World Health Organization to halve morbidity and mortality of snakebite by 2030. However, there was no such information in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries. METHODOLOGY: A decision analytic model was developed to estimate annual burden of snakebite in seven countries, including Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, Lao PDR, and Myanmar. Country-specific input parameters were sought from published literature, country's Ministry of Health, local data, and expert opinion. Economic burden was estimated from the societal perspective. Costs were expressed in 2019 US Dollars (USD). Disease burden was estimated as disability-adjusted life years (DALYs). Probabilistic sensitivity analysis was performed to estimate a 95% credible interval (CrI). PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We estimated that annually there were 242,648 snakebite victims (95%CrI 209,810-291,023) of which 15,909 (95%CrI 7,592-33,949) were dead and 954 (95%CrI 383-1,797) were amputated. We estimated that 161,835 snakebite victims (69% of victims who were indicated for antivenom treatment) were not treated with antivenom. Annual disease burden of snakebite was estimated at 391,979 DALYs (95%CrI 187,261-836,559 DALYs) with total costs of 2.5 billion USD (95%CrI 1.2-5.4 billion USD) that were equivalent to 0.09% (95%CrI 0.04-0.20%) of the region's gross domestic product. >95% of the estimated burdens were attributed to premature deaths. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE: The estimated high burden of snakebite in ASEAN was demonstrated despite the availability of domestically produced antivenoms. Most burdens were attributed to premature deaths from snakebite envenoming which suggested that the remarkably high burden of snakebite could be averted. We emphasized the importance of funding research to perform a comprehensive data collection on epidemiological and economic burden of snakebite to eventually reveal the true burden of snakebite in ASEAN and inform development of strategies to tackle the problem of snakebite.

Cost-utility study of home-based cryotherapy device for wart treatment: a randomized, controlled, and investigator-blinded trial.

BACKGROUND: Cryotherapy is typically performed by physicians. No cost-utility studies of home-based cryotherapy have been reported. OBJECTIVES: To study the cost utility of home-based cryotherapy devices and in-hospital liquid nitrogen therapy for cutaneous warts. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This randomized, controlled, investigator-blinded trial was carried out on patients with cutaneous warts. Participants were randomly assigned to two groups: home-based cryotherapy and in-hospital liquid nitrogen therapy. Clinical examinations were conducted at baseline and monthly until cure, and outcomes (cure rate, side effects, total costs, and quality of life) were compared. A cost-utility analysis was performed. RESULTS: Nineteen of 22 patients completed the treatment and were analyzed. The efficacy of home-based cryotherapy and in-hospital therapy was 72.8% and 64.3%, respectively. Side effects (pain, redness, and burning) were observed. The mean numbers of medical visits were 2.83 for home-based therapy and 3.30 for in-hospital therapy. The total costs for home-based therapy and the in-hospital therapy were US $76.03 and $100.45, respectively. The home-based therapy had 0.2297 quality-adjusted life years, slightly higher than the corresponding value of 0.2254 for in-hospital therapy. CONCLUSIONS: Home-based cryotherapy devices are a cost-saving strategy with similar efficacy to in-hospital liquid nitrogen therapy.

Potential changes in vaccine access and policy landscape in Thailand post COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a dramatic impact on society, but little is known about how the pandemic affects the vaccine policy landscape and public perception of vaccines in Thailand. This study aims to describe potential changes in Thailand's policy landscape post-pandemic. We performed a literature review and in-depth interviews with 12 key informants to understand the policy landscape in Thailand. The findings were shared in a policy forum in December 2021. Several key findings were summarized. Funding and development have been thriving during the pandemic. However, a long-term commitment from all stakeholders is required to maintain policy continuation. A public-private partnership should be considered. The regulatory body needs to be prepared for product authorization. The vaccine introduction decision-making process, and investment in prevention and promotion, should further be discussed. In summary, it is important to reshape the environment and mentality of all stakeholders to create a sustainable and self-sufficient vaccine ecosystem.

Preclinical evaluation of a plant-derived SARS-CoV-2 subunit vaccine: Protective efficacy, immunogenicity, safety, and toxicity.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an acute respiratory illness caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The prevention of SARS-CoV-2 transmission has become a global priority. Previously, we showed that a protein subunit vaccine that was developed based on the fusion of the SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding domain (RBD) to the Fc portion of human IgG1 (RBD-Fc), produced in Nicotiana benthamiana, and adjuvanted with alum, namely, Baiya SARS-CoV-2 Vax 1, induced potent immunological responses in both mice and cynomolgus monkeys. Hence, this study evaluated the protective efficacy, safety, and toxicity of Baiya SARS-CoV-2 Vax 1 in K18-hACE2 mice, monkeys and Wistar rats. Two doses of vaccine were administered three weeks apart on Days 0 and 21. The administration of the vaccine to K18-hACE2 mice reduced viral loads in the lungs and brains of the vaccinated animals and protected the mice against challenge with SARS-CoV-2. In monkeys, the results of safety pharmacology tests, general clinical observations, and a core battery of studies of three vital systems, namely, the central nervous, cardiovascular, and respiratory systems, did not reveal any safety concerns. The toxicology study of the vaccine in rats showed no vaccine-related pathological changes, and all the animals remained healthy under the conditions of this study. Furthermore, the vaccine did not cause any abnormal toxicity in rats and was clinically tolerated even at the highest tested concentration. In addition, general health status, body temperature, local toxicity at the administration site, hematology, and blood chemistry parameters were also monitored. Overall, this work presents the results of the first systematic study of the safety profile of a plant-derived vaccine, Baiya SARS-CoV-2 Vax 1; this approach can be considered a viable strategy for the development of vaccines against COVID-19.

Situation of snakebite, antivenom market and access to antivenoms in ASEAN countries.

INTRODUCTION: Snakebite envenoming is a neglected tropical disease posing public health challenges globally. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries are among the tropical regions with disproportionately high incidence of snakebite. Hence, this study aimed to review the situation of snakebite, antivenom market and access to antivenoms in ASEAN. METHODS: This mixed-methods study included comprehensive literature review and in-depth interviews with key informants to assess the situation of management system of snakebite, antivenom market and access to antivenoms in seven ASEAN countries, including Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, Lao PDR and Myanmar. Data were analysed by a framework method. RESULTS: ASEAN have developed various strategies to improve outcomes of snakebite victims. Five domestic antivenom manufacturers in the region produce up to 288 375 vials of antivenoms annually with the value of US$13 058 053 million which could treat 42 213 snakebite victims. However, there remain challenges to be addressed especially the lack of snakebite-related informatics system, inadequate antivenoms at the healthcare facilities and when the majority of snakebite victims seek traditional healers instead of conventional treatment. CONCLUSION: Improving the situation of snakebite and antivenom is not only about the availability of antivenom, but the whole landscape of surrounding management and supporting system. The assessment of the situation of snakebite and antivenom is crucial for countries or regions where snakebites are prevalent to recognise their current standpoint to inform the development of strategies to achieve the goal set by the WHO of halving the global burden of snakebite by 2030.

Financing Strategies to Facilitate Access to High-Cost Anticancer Drugs: A Systematic Review of the Literature.

BACKGROUND: Each country manages access to anticancer drugs differently due to variations in the structure and financing of the health system, but a summary of the various strategies used is absent. This study aimed to review and summarize financing strategies implemented across countries to facilitate access to high-cost anticancer drugs. METHODS: We conducted a systematic review of articles referenced in PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science through May 12, 2021. Articles published in the English language from 2000 that describe strategies implemented in different countries to facilitate access to high-cost anticancer drugs were included. Letters, news articles, and proposed strategies were excluded. Quality assessment was not performed as we aimed to summarize the strategies. Data were analyzed by thematic analysis. A review protocol was registered at PROSPERO (CRD42018068616). RESULTS: The review included 204 studies from 176 countries. Three themes of financing strategies were identified: (1) Basic pharmaceutical reimbursement and pricing policies, (2) Alternative funding strategies specific to high-cost drugs, and (3) Financial assistance for individual patients. Access in most countries depends mainly on basic pharmaceutical reimbursement policies (165 of 176 countries). Apart from that, high-income countries (HICs) tended to use funding strategies targeting high-cost drugs (72% of HICs vs 0%-24% of the rest), such as managed entry agreements (MEAs) or dedicated funds for high-cost drugs. In contrast, lower-income countries tended to implement financial assistance programs for cancer patients as a tool to increase access (32% of HICs vs 62%-79% of the rest). CONCLUSION: Many countries have implemented a combination of strategies to increase access to high-cost anticancer drugs. Most low- and middle-income countries utilized placement of anticancer drugs on a national list of essential medicines and patient assistance programs (PAPs) to facilitate access, while many HICs implemented a broader range of strategies.

Home-based chemotherapy for stage III colon cancer patients in Thailand: Cost-utility and budget impact analyses.

Home-based chemotherapy (HC) is a new treatment alternative to hospital-based chemotherapy treatment (IP) and is administered via portable intravenous pumps at the patient's home. HC reduces the demand for inpatient bed capacity in hospitals and reduces the cost of an infusion. This study takes a societal perspective while conducting the cost-utility and budget impact analyses (BIA) of HC and IP with an mFOLFOX6 regimen on patients with stage III colon cancer. We conducted a cost-utility analysis with a 6-month time horizon. The parameter inputs for the model were gathered from a retrospective cohort study on patients diagnosed with stage III colon cancer at Ramathibodi Hospital, Bangkok. The resource usage of HC and IP was determined based on medical records. The per-unit direct medical, home health service, and adverse events (AE) management costs were gathered from the standard cost list. The health outcome of treatment was measured in terms of quality-adjusted life years. Disutility related to AE was calculated. We conducted a sensitivity analysis for the uncertainty results and performed BIA based on the societal perspective on a 1-year time horizon. HC provided a cost-saving of $1,513.37 per patient for the period of treatment. Thus, assuming 526 patients per year, the use of HC could achieve a cumulative annual cost-saving of $828,436. HC is a cost-saving strategy compared to IP for stage III colon cancer treatment. We recommend that the service reimbursement should include national standardization in chemotherapy regimens as well as practice guidelines and protocols to prevent serious AEs.

Global systematic review of cost of illness and economic evaluation studies associated with snakebite.

BACKGROUND: Snakebite envenoming, a high priority Neglected Tropical Disease categorized by the World Health Organization (WHO), has been considered as a poverty-related disease that requires greater global awareness and collaboration to establish strategies that effectively decrease economic burdens. This prompts the need for a comprehensive review of the global literature that summarizes the global economic burden and a description of methodology details and their variation. This study aimed to systematically identify studies on cost of illness and economic evaluation associated with snakebites, summarize study findings, and evaluate their methods to provide recommendations for future studies. METHODS: We searched PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane library, and Econlit for articles published from inception to 31 July 2019. Original articles reporting costs or full economic evaluation related with snakebites were included. The methods and reporting quality were assessed. Costs were presented in US dollars (US$) in 2018. RESULTS: Twenty-three cost of illness studies and three economic evaluation studies related to snakebites were included. Majority of studies (18/23, 78.26%) were conducted in Low- and Middle-income countries. Most cost of illness studies (82.61%) were done using hospital-based data of snakebite patients. While, four studies (17.39%) estimated costs of snakebites in communities. Five studies (21.74%) used societal perspective estimating both direct and indirect costs. Only one study (4.35%) undertook incidence-based approach to estimate lifetime costs. Only three studies (13.04%) estimated annual national economic burdens of snakebite which varied drastically from US$126 319 in Burkina Faso to US$13 802 550 in Sri Lanka. Quality of the cost of illness studies were varied and substantially under-reported. All three economic evaluation studies were cost-effectiveness analysis using decision tree model. Two of them assessed cost-effectiveness of having full access to antivenom and reported cost-effective findings. CONCLUSIONS: Economic burdens of snakebite were underestimated and not extensively studied. To accurately capture the economic burdens of snakebites at both the global and local level, hospital data should be collected along with community survey and economic burdens of snakebites should be estimated both in short-term and long-term period to incorporate the lifetime costs and productivity loss due to premature death, disability, and consequences of snakebites.

Landscape of vaccine access and health technology assessment role in decision-making process in ASEAN countries.

Over the past few years, many innovative vaccines became available that offer protection for diseases which have never been prevented before. While there are several factors that could have an impact on access, the use of health technology assessment (HTA) undoubtedly is also one of the contributing factors. Objectives: To explore the landscape of vaccine access and the role of HTA in new vaccine adoption in Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries. Results: A great deal of progress has been made in terms of access to new and innovation vaccine in the region. Variation in access to these vaccines comparing between countries, however, is still observed. The use of HTA in supporting new vaccine adoption is still in an early stage especially in Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance-eligible countries. Conclusions: Improving the use of HTA evidences to support decision making could accelerate the efficient adoption of new vaccine in ASEAN region.

Molecular Pharming for low and middle income countries.

Interest in applications and benefits that Molecular Pharming might offer to Low and Middle Income Countries has always been a potent driver for the research discipline, and a major reason why many scientists entered the field. Although enthusiasm remains high, the reality is that such a game-changing innovation would always take longer than traditional uptake of new technology in developed countries, and be complicated by external factors beyond technical feasibility. Excitingly, signs of increasing interest by LMICS in Molecular Pharming are now emerging. Here, three case studies from Thailand, South Africa and Brazil are used to identify some of the key issues when a new investment into Molecular Pharming manufacturing capacity is under consideration. At present, academic research is not necessarily addressing these issues. Only by understanding the concerns, can members of the academic community contribute to helping the development of Molecular Pharming for LMICs by focusing their research efforts appropriately.

Revisiting Roles of Health Technology Assessment on Drug Policy in Universal Health Coverage in Thailand: Where Are We? And What Is Next?

OBJECTIVES: To describe the process, challenges, and future direction of health technology assessment (HTA), focusing on the drug selection of the National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM) in Thailand. METHODS: Literature and government documents were reviewed and analyzed by authors with experiences in HTA and drug policy in the country. RESULTS: The structure of HTA and its process in the drug selection of the NLEM were described, followed by the outcomes of the use of HTA. Examples of lowering drug prices, as a result of price negotiation using HTA, were presented. A few examples were also provided to demonstrate how decisions were made from considering factors beyond cost-effectiveness findings. Finally, challenges on various issues including improvement of HTA structure and process were discussed for the future direction of HTA in Thailand. CONCLUSIONS: HTA has been adopted as a tool for the drug selection of the NLEM to help Thailand achieve universal health coverage. Nevertheless, various challenges exist and need to be addressed.

Cost-effectiveness analysis and safety of erythromycin 4% gel and 4% chlorhexidine scrub for pitted keratolysis treatment.

Background: Studies of Pitted keratolysis (PK) treatment are limited. Objectives: To study cost-effectiveness and to compare the safety of 4% chlorhexidine scrub with 4% erythromycin gel, for PK infections. Materials and methods: This cohort study was conducted on naval rating cadets with a clinical diagnosis of PK at Chumpol Naval Rating School, Thailand in 2016. Participants were randomly treated with either 4% erythromycin gel or 4% chlorhexidine scrub for 4 weeks. The clinical examinations were evaluated at the baseline and at 1 and 2 months after treatment. A decision-tree model was used to evaluate the costs, resource utilization and outcomes as quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs). Results: Of 344 naval rating cadets, 125 (36.3%) were diagnosed with PK. Sixty-four were treated with erythromycin. Approximately 80% of participants had complete resolution Foot odor were significantly improved at 2 months (p < .001) for both groups. No adverse effects were reported. Total cost for 4 weeks' treatment with the erythromycin gel and chlorhexidine scrub was US$77.34, US$51.9, respectively. Chlorhexidine treatment and erythromycin gel had 0.1526 and 0.1425 QALYs, respectively. Conclusions: treatment of PK with either 4% chlorhexidine scrub or 4% erythromycin gel had similar outcomes. However, using chlorhexidine scrub was more cost-effective.