title: Taking decisions on expenditure for high-cost drugs at the regional level: a model for evaluating the overall impact of Trastuzumab in the Veneto Region of Italy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cost-effectiveness analysis provides a ratio that indicates the value created per unit of money by a given therapy but says nothing about the total expected costs or net health and social impact of this therapy in a particular population of interest.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The main objective of this study is to define a methodology to calculate the effects of interventions from a local perspective. This will help determine parameters that provide information about resource planning and management to local decision makers.
  
  
  METHODS
  The described methodology calculates four indicators using local demographic and epidemiological data and a Markovian decision tree approach.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The method was applied to evaluate the economic, health and social impact of introducing a new cancer drug, Trastuzumab, for the early treatment of breast cancer in the Veneto Region of Italy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The indicators described in this study allow public policy makers to clearly understand the benefits and costs of a particular health intervention in a local population and to compare it with other strategies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, University of Padua, Padua, Italy. alessandra.buja@unipd.it
authors.forename: Alessandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Buja
authors.forename: Egle
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Perissinotto
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Compostella
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tramarin
authors.forename: Vincenzo
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Rebba
authors.forename: Davide
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Pastorelli
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Grigoletto
authors.forename: Costantino
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gallo
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rausa
authors.forename: Dario
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gregori
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000191:economics*; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000191:economics*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis / Q000379:methods; D003657:Decision Making; D016527:Drug Costs; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007558:Italy; D008390:Markov Chains; D008875:Middle Aged; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D040841:Resource Allocation; D000068878:Trastuzumab; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D000068878:Trastuzumab