Course

‘Pharmacoepidemiology & Pharmacoeconomics – Theory’ is a course offered in the fifth year of Pharm. D. program at School of Pharmacy, Health Sciences campus, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham.

Course Duration: 2 Hrs./Week

1. Pharmacoepidemiology :Definition and scope: Origin and evaluation of pharmacoepidemiology need for pharmacoepidemiology, aims and applications.Measurement of outcomes in pharmacoepidemiology
   Outcome measure and drug use measures
   Prevalence, incidence and incidence rate. Monetary units, number of prescriptions, units of drugs dis- pensed, defined daily doses and prescribed daily doses, medication adherence measurement

   Concept of risk in pharmacoepidemiology: Measurement of risk, attributable risk and relative risk, time-risk relationship and odds ratio

   Pharmacoepidemiological methods
   Includes theoretical aspects of various methods and practical study of various methods with the help of case studies for individual methods
   Drug utilization review, case reports, case series, surveys of drug use, cross – sectional studies, cohort studies, case control studies, case –cohort studies, meta – analysis studies, spontaneous reporting, pre- scription event monitoring and record linkage system.

   Sources of data for pharmacoepidemiological studiesAd Hoc data sources and automated data systems.

   Selected special applications of pharmacoepidemiology Studies of vaccine safety, hospital pharmacoepidemiology, pharmacoepidemiology and risk management, drug induced birth defects.

2. Phrmacoeconomics:Definition, history, needs of pharmacoeconomic evaluationsRole in formulary management decisions

   Pharmacoeconomic evaluation

   Outcome assessment and types of evaluation

   Includes theoretical aspects of various methods and practical study of various methods with the help of case studies for individual methods:

   Cost – minimization, cost- benefit, cost – effectiveness, cost utility

3. Applications of PharmacoeconomicsSoftware and case studies