Background: Sumatriptan is one of the leading medicines in migraine treatment. This study aimed to evaluate the cost-effectiveness (in the context of Iran) of sumatriptan nasal spray versus its oral tablet for treating migraine headaches. Methods: A systematic review of the literature was performed to evaluate the clinical effectiveness of sumatriptan nasal spray compared to its oral tablet. The search was conducted in five major scientific databases from 1990 to December 2018. The effectiveness outcomes were 2-h pain relief and 24-h recurrence rate, which then were translated into Quality-Adjusted Life-year (Qaly). Local costs data were identified based on official tariffs in Iran’s public and private sectors, with ratios of %80 and %20, respectively. Costs were converted from Iranian Rial rates (IRR) to US Dollars (USD), using the currency exchange rate of 42000 IRR/USD. A 1-year decision tree was adopted for the economic evaluation, conducted from a payer perspective in the Iranian healthcare setting. The final results were presented by Incremental Cost-Effectiveness Ratio (ICER), which showed the extra cost for one additional QALY gained. ICER was compared to Iran’s national willingness to pay (WTP) threshold, which is 2709 USD. The robustness of the results was analyzed using Deterministic Sensitivity Analysis (DSA). Results: The results showed that sumatriptan nasal spray (20 mg, for $0.714 per puff) compared to sumatriptan oral tablet (50 mg, with a weighted mean price of $0.238) had an incremental QALY of 0.028 and incremental cost of $0.21 per attack, per person-year. ICER was calculated to be 2617 USD/QALY, which is below Iran’s national WTP threshold. DSA results showed that the model is mainly sensitive to the price of sumatriptan nasal spray. Conclusion: Sumatriptan nasal spray was a more cost-effective medicine than sumatriptan oral tablet in Iranian patients with migraine.

Background: Reliable assessment of innovative technology readiness is crucial for industrial decision-making. Technology Readiness Assessment (TRA) is an established tool used to qualify technology development and help make investment decisions and deploy systems or technology elements to an end-user in a timely fashion. “Manufacturing readiness levels” (MRLs) and “ATLAS technology method” (technology components evaluation) metrics are commonly employed in TRA to assess the impact of technologies for future R&D programs and development of manufacturing and risk of a given technology, system, and or subsystem. Methods: In this study, E.coli-based recombinants were chosen as the objective. Two questionnaires were designed on their manufacturing process and sent to 13 biopharmaceutical experts in Iran. Results: The findings show that Iranian biopharmaceutical experts validated the proposed MRLs model inspired by the US Department of Defense’s published questionnaire. To run the “ATLAS technology method”, the relative importance of technology components (software, hardware, and human resources) involved in each stage of manufacturing and each stage’s relative importance was determined by experts in the percentage scale. Conclusion: Policymakers and managers must have enough knowledge of how to evaluate manufacturers’ abilities, and in this way, TRA is a usable and exquisite tool. In this article, two TRA methods that appear compatible with Iran’s environment of the biopharmaceutical sector are proposed.

Background: The increase in the prevalence and economic burden of hypertension has been attributable to the poor knowledge of disease management and practices. The proper practices would enhance adequate control of blood pressure. This study aimed to determine patients’ characteristics and medication use practices that influence their blood pressure control. Methods: The study was conducted on 202 hypertensive patients attending a Civil Service Hospital, Ilorin, Nigeria. A validated interviewer-administered questionnaire was used for patients’ data collection. The collected data were analyzed in SPSS v. 20. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze numerical and categorical variables, and the results are presented in text, percentages, and charts. The Chi-square and logistic regression tests were used as inferential analysis to determine the relationship between categorical variables. P values less than 0.05 were considered significant. Results: The Mean±SD age of the patients was 59.1±13 years, with the highest frequency of hypertension occurring among patients aged 46-60 years (44.6%). Women were more affected (120; 69.4%) than men (82; 40.6%). The majority of the patients (132; 65.3%) were low- to moderate-income earners. Educational status, frequency of missed doses, and presence of comorbidity significantly influenced blood pressure control (P= 0.017, P= 0.039, and P= 0.019, respectively). Knowledge of the timely use of drugs and regular clinic visits significantly affected blood pressure control, too (P=0.014, and P=0.043, respectively). The blood pressure control among patients was fair despite the poor level of medication use knowledge/practices. Conclusion: Blood pressure control is influenced by educational status and the presence of comorbid conditions. Timely medication use and regular clinic visits were strong predictors of blood pressure control. Multiple drug use was the most common hindrance to the timely use of medication. Background: The increase in the prevalence and economic burden of hypertension has been attributable to the poor knowledge of disease management and practices. The proper practices would enhance adequate control of blood pressure. This study aimed to determine patients’ characteristics and medication use practices that influence their blood pressure control. Methods: The study was conducted on 202 hypertensive patients attending a Civil Service Hospital, Ilorin, Nigeria. A validated interviewer-administered questionnaire was used for patients’ data collection. The collected data were analyzed in SPSS v. 20. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze numerical and categorical variables, and the results are presented in text, percentages, and charts. The Chi-square and logistic regression tests were used as inferential analysis to determine the relationship between categorical variables. P values less than 0.05 were considered significant. Results: The Mean±SD age of the patients was 59.1±13 years, with the highest frequency of hypertension occurring among patients aged 46-60 years (44.6%). Women were more affected (120; 69.4%) than men (82; 40.6%). The majority of the patients (132; 65.3%) were low- to moderate income earners. Educational status, frequency of missed doses, and presence of comorbidity significantly influenced blood pressure control (P= 0.017, P= 0.039, and P= 0.019, respectively). Knowledge of the timely use of drugs and regular clinic visits significantly affected blood pressure control, too (P=0.014, and P=0.043, respectively). The blood pressure control among patients was fair despite the poor level of medication use knowledge/practices. Conclusion: Blood pressure control is influenced by educational status and the presence of comorbid conditions. Timely medication use and regular clinic visits were strong predictors of blood pressure control. Multiple drug use was the most common hindrance to the timely use of medication.  

Background: Pharmacies are a prominent part of the health delivery system. Hence, valuable economic planning in designing and organizing pharmacies must be called. This study aimed to investigate the factors affecting pharmacies’ economic outcomes to strengthen their overall economy in Shiraz City, Iran. Methods: The type of study was descriptive-analytical and surveyed studies. All 343 active pharmacies in Shiraz were selected to be evaluated in this study. The data of all pharmacies were extracted with specifically designed questionnaires and analyzed (descriptive-analytical) with STATA software. Results: The monthly mean cost and revenue of one daily pharmacy were 6171045803 and 6577041019 Rials, respectively, in 2020. Also, these figures are 11544444668 and 15184116543 for 24-h pharmacies. Our results showed that all influential factors significantly impacted the pharmacies’ cost and revenue (P<0.01). Besides, the following factors like tax exemption, the exclusive sale of cosmetic products and medicines, increasing the drug’s margin, immediate refund from health insurance, technical right’s fee, and facilities significantly impacted pharmacies’ economic (P<0.01). Conclusion: The best ways to improve the pharmacy’s economy included tax exemption, the exclusive sale of cosmetic products, the release of exclusive and rare drugs increase of margin, rate of covered drugs with health insurances, faster refunding by the health insurances, specialty rights, and medicines packing. Also, it is necessary to pay attention to the indicators of the pharmacy’s economy and the factors affecting their income and expenses. This matter is even more pressing in developing countries, which are facing a severe shortage of resources.

Background: This study aimed to assess Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) in cancer patients receiving chemotherapy in Specialist Hospital, Jalingo, North-Eastern Nigeria, in 2015. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 218 cancer patients selected by systematic random sampling method. The study data were collected using a modified European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer QoL Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30 v. 3). Results: Out of the 218 participants, 42(18.8%) had between 1 to 4 chemotherapy cycles, while 86(39.4%) had 5 to 8 cycles and the remaining 91(41.7%) had 9 to 12 chemotherapy cycles. There was a significant relationship between HRQoL and the number of chemotherapy cycles received. Conclusion: Encouraging cancer patients to complete a chemotherapy course plays an essential role in the treatment outcome and the HRQoL in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.