[A] Suppose that a drug company has developed an ointment that can be used to treat sores and reduce scarring. Surveys indicated that the ointment, which costs $10,000 for a full course of treatment, can improve the quality of life from 0.6 to 0.7 for patients with this problem. Assume that this population has a life expectancy of 70 years. No need to worry about discounting. 1. What is the Incremental Cost-Utility Ratio (ICUR) for taking the ointment over doing nothing for a typical 20-year-old patient? [Hint: This patient has only 50 years of life remaining.] 2. If the cost-effectiveness threshold is $5,000 per QALYS, will the 20-year-old patient choose to get the ointment? What about a 60-year-old patient?
[A] Suppose that a drug company has developed an ointment that can be used to treat sores and reduce scarring. Surveys indicated that the ointment, which costs $10,000 for a full course of treatment, can improve the quality of life from 0.6 to 0.7 for patients with this problem. Assume that this population has a life expectancy of 70 years. No need to worry about discounting.
1. What is the Incremental Cost-Utility Ratio (ICUR) for taking the ointment over doing nothing for a typical 20-year-old patient? [Hint: This patient has only 50 years of life remaining.]
2. If the cost-effectiveness threshold is $5,000 per QALYS, will the 20-year-old patient choose to get the ointment? What about a 60-year-old patient?
[B] Is it appropriate to evaluate a healthcare intervention using various methods of economic evaluation as discussed in this course, or should we choose one primary method that best fits the analysis?
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