Pharmacoeconomics Course

Lesson 1 • Healthcare Resource Allocation Principles

Explains scarcity, opportunity cost, and efficiency as drivers of resource allocation. Links economic reasoning to pharmaceutical funding decisions.

Lesson 2 • Types of Economic Evaluation

Surveys cost-minimisation, cost-effectiveness, cost-utility, and cost-benefit analyses. Clarifies when each method is appropriate for drug assessment.

Lesson 3 • Defining Pharmacoeconomics and Its Scope

Establishes the discipline's boundaries, objectives, and relationship to health economics. Provides the vocabulary needed for all subsequent analytical work.

Lesson 4 • Perspectives and Framing in Analysis

Defines societal, payer, provider, and patient perspectives and their impact on cost inclusion. Teaches students to explicitly state and justify the chosen analytic perspective.

Lesson 1 • Discounting Future Costs

Explains time preference and the mechanics of discounting multi-year cost streams. Applies standard discount rates to produce present-value cost estimates.

Lesson 2 • Handling Uncertainty in Cost Data

Addresses sampling variability, missing data, and price inflation adjustments. Produces robust cost inputs that withstand scrutiny in model validation.

Lesson 3 • Unit Cost Estimation and Valuation

Teaches sourcing unit prices from tariffs, charges, and opportunity-cost estimates. Proper valuation ensures costs reflect true resource consumption.

Lesson 4 • Resource Use Measurement Methods

Covers micro-costing, gross-costing, and claims-based approaches to quantifying resource use. Selecting the right method determines data requirements and precision.

Lesson 1 • Health-Related Quality of Life Concepts

Defines health-related quality of life and its dimensions relevant to pharmacoeconomics. Establishes the conceptual basis for utility measurement.

Lesson 2 • Valuation Methods for Health States

Explains standard gamble, time trade-off, and visual analog scale elicitation methods. Compares population-based and patient-based valuation approaches.

Lesson 3 • Utility Measurement Instruments

Covers EQ-5D, SF-6D, HUI, and other preference-based instruments used to derive utilities. Guides instrument selection based on disease area and payer requirements.

Lesson 4 • Quality-Adjusted Life Year Calculation

Demonstrates QALY computation by combining utility weights with survival duration. Addresses common calculation errors and reporting conventions.

Lesson 1 • Principles of Decision-Analytic Modelling

Introduces modelling rationale, structure selection, and conceptual model development. Establishes good modelling practice as the foundation for all subsequent model work.

Lesson 2 • Decision Tree Construction

Covers node types, probability assignment, and payoff calculation in decision trees. Appropriate for acute, short-horizon conditions with discrete outcomes.

Lesson 3 • Markov Model Structure and States

Defines health states, transition probabilities, and cycle length in Markov models. Suitable for chronic diseases requiring long-term cost and outcome projection.

Lesson 4 • Populating Models with Data

Guides systematic sourcing of clinical, epidemiological, and cost data for model inputs. Ensures traceability and transparency of all parameter estimates.

Lesson 1 • ICER Calculation and Interpretation

Demonstrates ICER computation and placement on the cost-effectiveness plane. Interprets quadrant positions and their implications for decision-making.

Lesson 2 • Incremental Analysis Concepts

Defines incremental costs, incremental effects, and the comparator selection process. Correct comparator choice is critical to producing a valid ICER.

Lesson 3 • Willingness-to-Pay Thresholds

Explains the theoretical basis and empirical derivation of cost-effectiveness thresholds. Applies thresholds to reimbursement recommendation scenarios.

Lesson 4 • Presenting ICER Results to Stakeholders

Structures clear, concise ICER summaries for clinical, payer, and policy audiences. Translates technical outputs into actionable reimbursement recommendations.

Lesson 1 • Scenario Analysis and Threshold Analysis

Constructs clinically meaningful scenarios and identifies break-even parameter values. Supports strategic pricing and reimbursement negotiation.

Lesson 2 • Probabilistic Sensitivity Analysis

Assigns probability distributions to parameters and runs Monte Carlo simulations. Generates joint uncertainty estimates for costs and effects simultaneously.

Lesson 3 • Types of Uncertainty in Models

Distinguishes parameter, structural, methodological, and heterogeneity uncertainty. Correct classification guides the choice of appropriate sensitivity analysis technique.

Lesson 4 • One-Way and Multi-Way Sensitivity Analysis

Demonstrates varying single and multiple parameters across plausible ranges. Identifies key drivers of model results through tornado diagrams.

Lesson 1 • Epidemiological Inputs and Market Share

Estimates eligible patient population size and projects market uptake over the analysis horizon. Accurate epidemiological inputs drive the credibility of budget projections.

Lesson 2 • Communicating Budget Impact Findings

Structures budget impact reports for formulary committees and payer negotiations. Translates model outputs into per-member-per-month and aggregate cost metrics.

Lesson 3 • Scenario Modelling and Sensitivity

Builds alternative uptake and pricing scenarios to bound the budget impact estimate. Provides payers with a range of plausible financial outcomes.

Lesson 4 • Cost Components in Budget Impact Models

Incorporates drug acquisition, administration, monitoring, and offset costs into the model. Comprehensive cost inclusion prevents underestimation of budget impact.

Lesson 1 • Stakeholder Engagement and Communication

Develops targeted communication plans for payers, clinicians, and patient groups. Builds credibility through transparent, evidence-based dialogue.

Lesson 2 • Value-Based Pricing Frameworks

Applies cost-effectiveness and budget impact results to set and defend price points. Explores outcomes-based contracts and risk-sharing arrangements.

Lesson 3 • Consulting Project Management

Applies project scoping, timeline management, and quality assurance to pharmacoeconomic engagements. Delivers client-ready outputs on time and within scope.

Lesson 4 • Ethical Standards in Pharmacoeconomics

Addresses conflicts of interest, transparency obligations, and reporting standards in economic research. Upholds professional integrity in consulting and publication.

Lesson 5 • HTA Submission Strategy and Dossier Design

Plans and structures HTA dossiers to maximise the probability of positive recommendations. Anticipates common reviewer critiques and pre-empts them in the submission.