Special Issue of PharmacoEconomics to Focus on Comparative Effectiveness Research

BRIDGEWATER, N.J., Sept. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Wolters Kluwer Pharma Solutions, a leading provider of scientific information and analytics to the pharmaceutical and biotech fields, announced today that the Adis journal PharmacoEconomics has released a special issue devoted entirely to comparative effectiveness research (CER).  CER seeks to compare various medical interventions based on price, safety and effectiveness as a means to improve patient healthcare and slow the rise of healthcare costs.

CER has become increasingly relevant in light of U.S. healthcare reform as evidenced by President Obama recently signing into law a bill that establishes the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, a non-profit organization tasked with setting priorities and funding in this area.  In addition, more than $1.1 billion in federal funding was earmarked for CER as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).

"CER is an important touchstone in this new era which puts more priority on patient-centered and cost-conscious approaches to healthcare," said Christopher Carswell, Editor of PharmacoEconomics.  "Our goal is to further raise awareness for this important area of research and set forth some of the best approaches for incorporating CER into the fabric of global healthcare."

Published today online, the special issue contains papers from thought leaders and key stakeholders from various constituencies around the globe including the pharmaceutical industry, pharmaceutical benefit managers (PBMs) managed care pharmacy and government and private payers from the U.S., Canada, Europe and the Pacific-Rim.  As guest editors for the issue, health economists Howard Birnbaum and Paul Greenberg of Analysis Group, Inc., a leading provider of economic, financial, and business expertise in the healthcare industry, collected a diverse set of opinions on this pressing topic—some of which are in opposition with each other.  The issue's primary aim:  to fuel more discussion about CER as a means to help continue its forward momentum in the future.

Organizations represented in the issue include the U.S.'s Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and Center for Medical Technology Policy (CMTP); the U.K.'s National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE); the PBM Medco; Johnson & Johnson; and Eli Lilly and Company, among others.

The benchmark journal on the applications of pharmacoeconomics and quality-of-life assessment, PharmacoEconomics is an invaluable source of applied original research and educational material for the healthcare decision maker.  The peer-reviewed Adis journal is dedicated to the clear communication of complex pharmacoeconomic issues related to patient care and drug utilization.

Available online now, the special issue devoted to CER will be published in the next PharmacoEconomics print edition, available by subscription in October.

For more information or to purchase PharmacoEconomics or any of the other peer-reviewed Adis publications, visit http://adisonline.com.  For additional information, visit the company's website at www.wolterskluwerpharma.com.

About Wolters Kluwer Pharma Solutions

Wolters Kluwer Pharma Solutions, Inc. (Bridgewater, NJ) provides clinical and healthcare data and analytics, leading medical publishing services, and market intelligence tools to the pharmaceutical, biotech, and medical device fields. The company's brands include Adis, Source® and VisionCare Group. The global publisher Adis, provides peer-reviewed journals promoting rational pharmacology and effective patient management, and offers highly respected drug and clinical trials databases. A longstanding provider of market data and healthcare analytics, Source® offers a unique set of comprehensive patient and physician-level prescribing and usage data. VisionCare Group is a publisher of business and specialty publications and producer of conferences and e-media products targeting the vision market. For more information, visit www.wolterskluwerpharma.com.

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