title: The enigma of value: in search of affordable and accessible health care.
abstract: In times of shrinking resources and pharmaceutical breakthrough situations, our value-assessing systems are stretched to their very limits. Assessing value is highly complex. Current value-assessment systems risk neglecting important factors, such as therapy duration, budget impact, or the importance of combination therapies. Especially when dealing with breakthrough therapies within high-prevalence indications, these factors play an important role in health care spending. When it comes to assessing value in Switzerland, the system is innovation and access-friendly; the price level of pharmaceutical products, however, is relatively high in comparison to neighboring countries. The Swiss pricing and reimbursement system can still improve in terms of efficiency and transparency.
authors.affiliation: European Center of Pharmaceutical Medicine, University of Basel, Klingelbergstrasse 61, 4056, Basel, Switzerland. thomas.szucs@unibas.ch.
authors.forename: Thomas D
authors.initials: TD
authors.lastname: Szucs
authors.affiliation: Helsana Insurance Group, Postfach, 8081, Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Martina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Weiss
authors.affiliation: Helsana Insurance Group, Postfach, 8081, Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Guido
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Klaus
mesh_terms: D002017:Budgets; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis / Q000191:economics; D017850:Economics, Pharmaceutical / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005252:Fees, Pharmaceutical; D005102:Health Expenditures / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000191:economics*; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000191:economics; D006801:Humans; D000069474:Sofosbuvir / Q000191:economics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D013222:State Medicine; D013557:Switzerland; D006113:United Kingdom
chemical_list: D000069474:Sofosbuvir
keywords: Hepatitis C; NHS; Pricing; Reimbursement; Value