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Assessing the economic impact of Rx-to-OTC switches: systematic review and guidelines for future development
1Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development, Tufts University, Boston, MA, USA.
Journal of Medical Economics
|April 20, 2013
Summary
Drug switches from prescription to non-prescription (Rx-to-OTC) status can save money for payers and patients. This review of economic models suggests potential cost savings, despite limitations in current studies.
Area of Science:
- Health Economics
- Pharmaceutical Policy
- Decision Analysis
Background:
- Drug switching from prescription to non-prescription (Rx-to-OTC) status impacts health outcomes, spending, and consumer choice.
- Decision-analytic models are crucial for estimating the economic impact of Rx-to-OTC switches for payers.
- This review critically examines existing economic evaluation models for Rx-to-OTC switches and offers guidelines for improvement.
Purpose of the Study:
- To conduct a critical literature review of economic models assessing the impact of Rx-to-OTC drug switches.
- To identify limitations in existing models and provide guidelines for future economic evaluations.
Main Methods:
- A comprehensive search of Medline and Embase databases (1995-2010) was performed.
- The ISPOR research digest was reviewed for relevant abstracts.
- Models were critically evaluated for structure, inputs, methodology, and results.
Main Results:
- Only 12 peer-reviewed publications worldwide evaluated the economic impact of Rx-to-OTC switches.
- Ten studies were US-based, two European-based, covering diverse disease categories.
- Seventy-five percent of models predicted cost savings for payers and patients; common limitations included strong assumptions and lack of specific population data.
Conclusions:
- Despite quality limitations in reviewed studies, Rx-to-OTC switches show potential for cost savings for public and private payers.
- This finding is significant given the increasing trend of Rx-to-OTC switches.
- Guidelines for improving future economic evaluations of Rx-to-OTC switches were developed.
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