Tehran University of Medical Sciences Journal of Pharmacoeconomics and Pharmaceutical Management 2383-4498 2 1/2 2017 07 10 1 8 Mina Azizzadeh School of Management and Medical Information Sciences, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran Elmira Hoseini Department of Healthcare Management, School of Allied Medical Sciences, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Ahmad Fayaz-Bakhsh Health Information Management Research Center, School of Allied Medical Sciences AND Department of Health Management and Economics, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran 2017 07 09 2017 07 09 Background: Information technology has been developed so rapidly and pharmaceutical companies design websites with the goal of providing better service to customers and sell more products. The evaluation of information contained on the selected pharmaceutical company’s web sites is adapted in the current study to understand the needs and expectations of consumers. Methods: According to the research plan, a questionnaire used in a similar study by Walter Wymer was applied in this study. The reliability of the survey was confirmed by examining 12 primary samples through Cronbach’s alpha. Based on the statistical community of medical and pharmacy students that reside in the Tehran Medical Sciences University, Iran , the samples randomly were chosen. A total of 5 branded prescription drugs were selected either because they were evaluated as being poor consumer choices for safety reasons or better alteration exists. The study participants visited each of five websites for the selected drugs, and then they answered a series of questions for each website, to evaluate each website’s information content. Data were analyzed using SPSS software. Results: The results showed that only 2 of 5 websites was fully presenting benefit and risk information, predominantly the later one, and the limitations to the uses of drug. Pricing information, alternative medicines, treatments, and behavioral approaches for dealing with an illness or health condition were not part of the information provided by drug companies. Conclusion: Only two of the five selected web sites had relatively good condition. Hence, Iranian consumers need to be aware and careful to use the pharmaceutical company websites as a source of information for finding prescription drugs information. https://jppm.tums.ac.ir/index.php/jppm/article/view/36 https://jppm.tums.ac.ir/index.php/jppm/article/download/36/18

Tehran University of Medical Sciences Journal of Pharmacoeconomics and Pharmaceutical Management 2383-4498 2 1/2 2017 07 10 45 49 Mehdi Varmaghani Department of Health Economics and Management Sciences, School of Health, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad AND Non-communicable Diseases Research Center, Endocrinology and Metabolism Population Science Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Amir Hashemi-Meshkini Department of Pharmacoeconomics and Pharmaceutical Administration, School of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Akbar Abdollahiasl Department of Pharmacoeconomics and Pharmaceutical Administration, School of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Elham Heidari Non-communicable Diseases Research Center, Endocrinology and Metabolism Population Science Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Hedieh-Sadat Zekri Department of Economics, School of Economics, Allameh-Tabatabaei University, Tehran, Iran Saeed Yaghoubifard Department of Pharmacoeconomics and Pharmaceutical Administration, School of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Farid Dorkoosh Department of Pharmacoeconomics and Pharmaceutical Administration, School of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran 2017 07 09 2017 07 09 Pharmaceutical expenditure is a substantial part of the health-care system budget. In Iran, people are paying about half of total pharmaceutical expenditure out of their pocket. In this study, we reviewed the Iranian pharmaceuticals financing system including the current situation and the relevant policies. We also provide an overview about the new health-care system reform and its challenges ahead. https://jppm.tums.ac.ir/index.php/jppm/article/view/43 https://jppm.tums.ac.ir/index.php/jppm/article/download/43/25

Tehran University of Medical Sciences Journal of Pharmacoeconomics and Pharmaceutical Management 2383-4498 2 1/2 2017 07 10 9 18 Amir Viyanchi Department of Pharmacoeconomics and Pharmaceutical Administration, School of Pharmacy, Hamedan University of Medical Sciences, Hamedan, Iran Ali Rajabzadeh-Ghatari Department of Industrial Management, School of Management and Economics, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran 2017 07 09 2017 07 09 - https://jppm.tums.ac.ir/index.php/jppm/article/view/37 https://jppm.tums.ac.ir/index.php/jppm/article/download/37/46

Tehran University of Medical Sciences Journal of Pharmacoeconomics and Pharmaceutical Management 2383-4498 2 1/2 2017 07 10 19 24 Mahdi Toroski Department of Pharmacoeconomy and Pharmaceutical Administration, School of pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Rezvan Rajabzadeh Department of Epidemiology, School of Health, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Melika Niyazi School of Department of treatment,Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Hadi Hayati Department of Pharmacoeconomy and Pharmaceutical Administration, School of pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Habibeh Sadat Shakeri Department of Endocrinology, Imam Reza Hospital, North Khorasan University of Medical Sciences, Bojnord, Iran Maryam Rezapour Department of Pharmacy, School of Arvandpardis, Ahvaz Jondishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran. Seyed Hamid Hosseini Department of Public Health, School of Public Health, North Khorasan University of Medical Sciences, Bojnurd, Iran 2017 07 09 2017 07 09 Background: It is necessary that we have more information about the quality of life (QOL) of diabetics, their special characteristics and socioeconomical characteristics that affect QOL in type II diabetic patients. The aim of this study was to investigate the QOL in type II diabetic patients and relationship of QOL in type II diabetic patients with socioeconomical and treatment factors in Bojnord City, Iran. Methods: This study was a cross-sectional study. The subjects, in this study, were patients with type II diabetes referring to the diabetes clinic in the city of Bojnord, sampling was done randomly, according to the formula of samples and resources, 218 samples were estimated. For data collection, a two-part questionnaire containing demographic and disease characteristics and QOL questionnaire SF36. After collecting the information and entering data in the software SPSS using χ2 statistics test, one-way ANOVAs, t-test, and correlation coefficient were analyzed. Results: In this study, 218 patients with type II diabetes were analyzed of which 77 (35.3%) were male and 141 (64.7%) were female and most of the cases were married (96.3%). The mean age of the participants was 55.45 ± 11.44 years and also the average weight, body mass index, and duration of disease were 71.94 ± 12.17 kg, 27.18 ± 4.53, and 2720.78 ± 2504.63 days, respectively. The highest average among the eight dimensions of QOL is in physical function. The total score of the QOL was 55.94 ± 18.63. Furthermore, the findings showed that QOL of 66 people (30.3%), 56 people (27.7%), 59 people (27.0%), and 37 people (17.0%) is undesired, poor, good, and desirable, respectively. The results of t-test and ANOVA showed between gender, education, type of treatment and QOL in type II diabetic patients studied; there was a statistically significant difference (P ≤ 0.050). Conclusion: To increase the QOL for diabetics, attention to the self-care training programs and continuous monitoring and regular of patients have an important role. https://jppm.tums.ac.ir/index.php/jppm/article/view/38 https://jppm.tums.ac.ir/index.php/jppm/article/download/38/26

Tehran University of Medical Sciences Journal of Pharmacoeconomics and Pharmaceutical Management 2383-4498 2 1/2 2017 07 10 25 29 Majid Davari Department of Pharmacoeconomics and Pharmaceutical Administration, School of Pharmacy AND Pharmaceutical Management and Economics Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Mohammad Reza Maracy Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Health, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran Abolfazl Aslani Department of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran Zahra Bakhshizadeh Department of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran Elahe Khorasani Department of Pharmacoeconomics and Pharmaceutical Administration, School of Pharmacy AND Students’ Scientific Research Center AND Pharmaceutical Management and Economics Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran 2017 07 09 2017 07 09 Background: Equity is one of the pivotal aims and priorities of the pharmaceutical system. The World Health Organization report in 2000 clarifies the important role of equity in health-care systems. Equity and efficiency are prominent features of health-care system operation. Pharmaceuticals play an important role in the cycle of health services. The aim of this study was to evaluate the equity in access to pharmaceutical services in selected cities of Isfahan Province, Iran. Methods: This research is a cross-sectional analytical study. A valid, reliable questionnaire including 25 questions was prepared to measure patients’ access to their prescribed medicines and also to determine their socioeconomic status (SES). Totally 800 questionnaires were completed by patients who attended pharmacies in selected cities of Isfahan Province. Equity in access was evaluated using concentration and Lorenz curves. Results: Nearly 66% of the samples were categorized in moderate-to-extremely poor SES. The highest rate of access to pharmaceutical services was found in Borkhar and Meymeh (98.9%) and the least was in Natanz (90.5%). The concentration index (CI) for access to pharmaceutical services was 0.029 in Isfahan Province, and thus equitable access to pharmaceutical services was estimated to be about 97% in this province. Conclusion: The CI for access to pharmaceutical services was 0.029 in Isfahan Province. The findings show that the pattern of accessibility is not significantly different between the cities with various development indicators and is not related with various SES. This could be considered as one of the positive features of pharmaceutical policy in Iran. https://jppm.tums.ac.ir/index.php/jppm/article/view/39 https://jppm.tums.ac.ir/index.php/jppm/article/download/39/21

Tehran University of Medical Sciences Journal of Pharmacoeconomics and Pharmaceutical Management 2383-4498 2 1/2 2017 07 10 30 33 Nilofar Sharahi Department of Basic Science, School of Basic Science, Ahar Branch, Islamic Azad University, Ahar, Iran Majid Davari Department of Pharmacoeconomics and Pharmaceutical management, School of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Administrations and Pharmacoeconomics Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Tahereh Malakoutian Department of Nephrology, School of Medicine, Academy of Medical Sciences of Iran, Tehran, Iran Zahra Gharibnaseri Department of Pharmacoeconomics and Pharmaceutical Administration, School of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran 2017 07 09 2017 07 09 Background: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is an irreversible and progressive deterioration of renal function. The terminate stage of CKD is known as end-stage renal disease (ESRD) at which the patient needs a renal replacement therapy such as dialysis. Secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT) - excessive production of parathyroid hormone - is a common complication of impaired renal function. Patients with ESRD are likely at high risk for varying degrees of SHPT. Guidelines recommend pharmacotherapy as the main treatment of SHPT. Cinacalcet is a new medicine for treating patients with SHPT. The aim of this paper was to describe the background, rationale, objectives, design, and methodology of cost-effectiveness analysis of cinacalcet for SHPT in ESRD patients. Methods: We will perform a systematic review of the approved databases and literature to collect randomized control trials on SHPT. The definitions, data sources, methods of data gathering, and data generating will be explained in this paper. One-way sensitivity analysis will be used for estimating the robustness of our results. Conclusion: This study helps to obtain information concerning the cost-effectiveness of using cinacalcet in the treatment regimen of SHPT patients. The result will assist policy makers and physicians to support the most cost-effective pharmaceutical therapy for SHPT patients. This would increase allocative efficiency of the health-care delivery system in Iran. https://jppm.tums.ac.ir/index.php/jppm/article/view/40 https://jppm.tums.ac.ir/index.php/jppm/article/download/40/22

Tehran University of Medical Sciences Journal of Pharmacoeconomics and Pharmaceutical Management 2383-4498 2 1/2 2017 07 10 34 37 Golbarg Ghiasi Department of Pharmacoeconomics and Pharmaceutical Administration, School of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical, Sciences, Tehran, Iran Farshad Hashemian Department of Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran Abbas Kebriaeezadeh Department of Pharmacoeconomics and Pharmaceutical Administration, School of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical, Sciences, Tehran, Iran Shaghayegh Ghiasi Department of Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy,.ir/index.php/jppm/article/download/13/13

Tehran University of Medical Sciences Journal of Pharmacoeconomics and Pharmaceutical Management 2383-4498 1 3/4 2015 10 11 59 60 EN Mehrnaz Kheirandish Department of Pharmacoeconomics and Pharmaceutical Management, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Zahra Gharibnaseri Department of Pharmacoeconomics and Pharmaceutical Management, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Fatemeh Soleymani Department of Pharmacoeconomics and Pharmaceutical Management, Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical policy research center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS), Tehran, Iran. Abbas Kebriaeezadeh Department of Pharmacoeconomics and Pharmaceutical Management, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran AND Department of Pharmacoeconomics and Pharmaceutical Management, Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical policy research center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS), Tehran, Iran. 2015 10 06 2015 10 06 Background: Health care improvement has had a critical role in increasing life expectancy throughout the world. The expenditures of research and development and also marketing for new pharmaceutical products are much higher than already existing medicines, resulting in higher prices for the former products. Therefore governments and health insurance organizations are interested in implementing policies that control drug prescription and utilization. One of these policies is Prior Authorization (PA). The main goal of PA is to reduce drug expenditures by substituting expensive medicines with less costly ones. PA policy has both scientific and economical aspects. The aim of this article is to assess the state of implementation of PA policy in Iran. There are several bodies to regulate medicines and their price in Iranian pharmaceutical market. There are two main insurance companies in Iran with similarities and differences in implementing this policy. Price ceiling and Reference Based Pricing are two main methods for implementing PA policy in Iran. https://jppm.tums.ac.ir/index.php/jppm/article/view/14 https://jppm.tums.ac.ir/index.php/jppm/article/download/14/14

Tehran University of Medical Sciences Journal of Pharmacoeconomics and Pharmaceutical Management 2383-4498 1 3/4 2015 10 11 61 64 EN Hadi Hayati Department of Pharmacoeconomy and Pharmaceutical management, School of pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Saeid Karimi Health Management and Economics Research center, School of Management and Medical Information, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran. Jamil Sadeghifar Health Management and Economics Sciences Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Javad Ebrahimzadeh Hospital Management Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Somaye Afshari Department of Health Management and Economics, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Bahman Khosravi Department of Health Management and Economics, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Ensieh Ashrafi Department of Health Management and Economics, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. 2015 10 06 2015 10 06 Background: Health care section as an important social part of a community plays a determining role in people’s health and therefore all people must equally and purposefully enjoy health services and facilities; failure in this regard may lead to unpleasant consequences. Methods: The research is both applied and analytical which ra