The Experience of a Drug Evaluation Committee at a University Hospital
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
Introduction: The exponential development of innovative drugs poses challenges to healthcare systems in ensuring equitable access to new treatments. At the hospital level, Drug Evaluation Committees (DECs) in each institution analyze the evidence on the effectiveness, safety, and cost of new drugs and make recommendations tailored to their specific contexts. Our objective is to describe the DEC's activity at a university hospital.
Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was undertaken at a university hospital. The evaluations made between 2017 and 2023 were analyzed. We used descriptive statistics to quantify the number of evaluation requests received, the drugs incorporated, requesting departments, and the medications' ATC classification.
Results: The DEC began its activities in 2011 and is comprised of a team of 13 healthcare professionals. During the study period, 111 requests for drug inclusion were received, of which 90 (81.1%) were approved and incorporated into the institutional formulary. The Internal Medicine Department submitted 60 (54%) requests, 26 (23%) of those came from the Oncology Section.
Conclusions: The DEC plays a central role in incorporating new drugs into the institutional formulary, especially in critical areas such as Oncology, addressing the growing demand for evaluating innovative treatments.
Downloads
Article Details
Section
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
How to Cite
References
World Health Organization. Promoting rational use of medicines [Internet]. Geneva: WHO; 2024 [citado 2024 dic 16]. Disponible en: https://www.who.int/activities/promoting-rational-use-of-medicines
Fernández MBT, Fernández JMD. Análisis en la selección de medicamentos, acercamiento tecnológico y farmacológico. RevistaeSalud.com. 2013;9(34):8.
Holloway K, Green T. Comités de farmacoterapia: guía práctica [Internet]. Ginebra Organización Mundial de la Salud; 2003 [citado 2024 dic 16]. Disponible en: https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/69224/WHO_EDM_PAR_2004.1_spa.pdf.
Sampietro-Colom L, Lach K, Pasternack I, et al. Guiding principles for good practices in hospital-based health technology assessment units. Int J Technol Assess Health Care. 2015;31(6):457-465. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0266462315000732.
Gagnon MP. Hospital-based health technology assessment: developments to date. Pharmacoeconomics. 2014;32(9):819-824. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40273-014-0185-3.
Lipska I, Di Bidino R, Niewada M, et al. Overcoming barriers in hospital-based health technology assessment (HB-HTA): International Expert Panel Consensus. Healthcare (Basel). 2024;12(9):889. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare12090889.
Norwegian Institute of Public Health, WHO Collaborating Centre for Drug Statistics Methodology. ATC/DDD Index [Internet]. Oslo: NIPH; 2024 [citado 2024 ago 13]. Disponible en: https://atcddd.fhi.no/atc_ddd_index/.
Pérez-Velasco Rodríguez D, Castro Armas R, Villegas Vélez A, et al. Sistema de información sobre categorías farmacológicas. Rev Cubana Farm. 2001;35(2):144–151.
Argentina. Ministerio de Salud. Anexo II. Manual de procedimientos para el funcionamiento de la CONETEC [Internet]. Buenos Aires: el Ministerio; 2023 [citado 2024 dic 23]. Disponible en: https://www.argentina.gob.ar/sites/default/files/anexo_ii._manual-procedimiento-funcionamiento-conetec.pdf.
Organización Panamericana de la Salud. Métodos y aplicación de la evaluación de tecnologías sanitarias adaptativa (ETSa) webinario 43 [Internet]. Washington, DC: OPS; 2024 spt 26 [citado 2024 dic 23]. Disponible en: https://www.paho.org/es/noticias/26-9-2024-metodos-aplicacion-evaluacion-tecnologias-sanitarias-adaptativa-etsa-webinario.
Scott EC, Baines AC, Gong Y, et al. Trends in the approval of cancer therapies by the FDA in the twenty-first century. Nat Rev Drug Discov. 2023;22(8):625-640. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41573-023-00723-4.