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Public discourse on medicine provision predominantly focuses on overall expenditure. However, current literature suggests measurement of alternative indicators can provide a method to benchmark or ameliorate medicine provision. Previous research has investigated the viability of using health-related outcome metrics, such as the number of patients treated, quality-adjusted life-year gain and life-year gain, to provide macro-level estimates on medicines’ societal contributions. This editorial provides an overview of the evolving healthcare landscape surrounding medicine usage estimation and valuation in Ireland and offers recommendations on how improved methods of measuring health-related outcomes may help ameliorate efficiencies and the sustainability of a healthcare system.

Keywords: drug utilisation, health economics, life years gained, number of patients treated, pharmacoeconomics, quality-adjusted life years

Citation: O’Brien GL, McAlister M, Byrne S, Gallagher J. Overcoming hurdles: measurement of health-related outcomes associated with national level medicines usage in Ireland. Drugs in Context 2020; 9: 2020-4-2. DOI: 10.7573/dic.2020-4-2

Contributions: MMA, GLOB and JG conceived the study idea and decided on the methodological techniques. GLOB and JG carried out data collection and analysed and interpreted the data. GLOB wrote the final manuscript; MMA, JG and SB revised/edited the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript. All named authors meet the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) criteria for authorship for this article, take responsibility for the integrity of the work as a whole, and have given their approval for this version to be published.

Disclosure and potential conflicts of interest: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare. Both Ms Muireann McAlister and Dr James Gallagher are currently employees of Pfizer Healthcare Ireland. Mr Gary O’Brien is currently in receipt of an Irish Research Council Scholarship grant (GOIPG/2016/635). The International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) Potential Conflicts of Interests form for the authors is available for download at: https://www.drugsincontext.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/dic.2020-4-2-COI.pdf

Acknowledgements: None.

Funding declaration: This editorial was part-funded by Pfizer Healthcare Ireland and the Irish Research Council (GOIPG/2016/635). Both funders had no part in the design of the study; the data collection, analysis and interpretation; the writing of the manuscript; or the decision to submit the article for publication.

Copyright: Copyright © 2020 O’Brien GL, McAlister M, Byrne S, Gallagher J. Published by Drugs in Context under Creative Commons License Deed CC BY NC ND 4.0 which allows anyone to copy, distribute, and transmit the article provided it is properly attributed in the manner specified below. No commercial use without permission.

Correct attribution: Copyright © 2020 O’Brien GL, McAlister M, Byrne S, Gallagher J. https://doi.org/10.7573/dic.2020-4-2. Published by Drugs in Context under Creative Commons License Deed CC BY NC ND 4.0.

Article URL: https://www.drugsincontext.com/overcoming-hurdles:-measurement-of-health-related-outcomes-associated-with-national-level-medicines-usage-in-ireland

Correspondence: Muireann McAlister, Pfizer Healthcare Ireland, 9 Riverwalk, National Digital Park, Citywest Business Campus, Dublin 24, Ireland. Muireann.McAlister@pfizer.com

Provenance: submitted; externally peer reviewed.

Submitted: 2 April 2020; Peer review comments to author: 1 May 2020; Revised manuscript received: 1 May 2020; Accepted: 4 May 2020; Publication date: 22 May 2020.

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