[Pharmacoeconomics of molecular target drugs in Japan]

Various molecular target drugs are developed in recent era in Japan, especially for treatment of cancer, rheumatoid arthritis and other diseases. Although they are much more effective compared to previous drugs, their costs are much more expensive. Thus, pharmacoeconomic analysis in which we evaluate their efficiency, would be highly needed. When we take pharmacoeconomic analyses, we need to assess both costs and health outcomes. In addition, we must compare cost-effectiveness of new interventions and control. To estimate costs of each intervention, not only direct medical costs, but direct non-medical costs (e.g. transportation costs, caregiving costs, house--modification costs) and indirect costs, or productivity losses should be separately calculated and presented. To evaluate efficiencies of anti-rheumatoid biologic agent in Japan, we started to collaborate with large-scale cohort of patient with rheumatoid arthritis in Japan, IORRA cohort in Tokyo Women's Medical University. With this data, we are taking various pharmacoeconomic analysis.