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Fasseeh AN, Korra N, Elezbawy B, Sedrak AS, Gamal M, Eldessouki R, Eldebeiky M, George M, Seyam A, Abourawash A, Khalifa AY, Shaheen M, Abaza S, Kaló Z. Framework for developing cost-effectiveness analysis threshold: the case of Egypt. J Egypt Public Health Assoc 2024; 99:12. [PMID: 38825614 PMCID: PMC11144683 DOI: 10.1186/s42506-024-00159-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2023] [Accepted: 05/01/2024] [Indexed: 06/04/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cost-effectiveness analyses rarely offer useful insights to policy decisions unless their results are compared against a benchmark threshold. The cost-effectiveness threshold (CET) represents the maximum acceptable monetary value for achieving a unit of health gain. This study aimed to identify CET values on a global scale, provide an overview of using multiple CETs, and propose a country-specific CET framework specifically tailored for Egypt. The proposed framework aims to consider the globally identified CETs, analyze global trends, and consider the local structure of Egypt's healthcare system. METHODS We conducted a literature review to identify CET values, with a particular focus on understanding the basis of differentiation when multiple thresholds are present. CETs of different countries were reviewed from secondary sources. Additionally, we assembled an expert panel to develop a national CET framework in Egypt and propose an initial design. This was followed by a multistakeholder workshop, bringing together representatives of different governmental bodies to vote on the threshold value and finalize the recommended framework. RESULTS The average CET, expressed as a percentage of the gross domestic product (GDP) per capita across all countries, was 135%, with a range of 21 to 300%. Interestingly, while the absolute value of CET increased with a country's income level, the average CET/GDP per capita showed an inverse relationship. Some countries applied multiple thresholds based on disease severity or rarity. In the case of Egypt, the consensus workshop recommended a threshold ranging from one to three times the GDP per capita, taking into account the incremental relative quality-adjusted life years (QALY) gain. For orphan medicines, a CET multiplier between 1.5 and 3.0, based on the disease rarity, was recommended. A two-times multiplier was proposed for the private reimbursement threshold compared to the public threshold. CONCLUSION The CET values in most countries appear to be closely related to the GDP per capita. Higher-income countries tend to use a lower threshold as a percentage of their GDP per capita, contrasted with lower-income countries. In Egypt, experts opted for a multiple CET framework to assess the value of health technologies in terms of reimbursement and pricing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmad N Fasseeh
- Faculty of Pharmacy Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt
- Syreon Middle East, Alexandria, Egypt
| | | | | | - Amal S Sedrak
- Department of Public Health, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt
- Egyptian Authority for Unified Procurement, Medical Supply and Technology Management, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Mary Gamal
- Egyptian Authority for Unified Procurement, Medical Supply and Technology Management, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Randa Eldessouki
- Department of Community Health, Fayoum University, Fayoum, Egypt
| | - Mariam Eldebeiky
- Egyptian Authority for Unified Procurement, Medical Supply and Technology Management, Cairo, Egypt
| | | | - Ahmed Seyam
- Universal Health Insurance Authority, Cairo, Egypt
| | | | - Ahmed Y Khalifa
- World Health Organization Representative Office, Cairo, Egypt
| | | | | | - Zoltán Kaló
- Center for Health Technology Assessment, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
- Syreon Research Institute, Budapest, Hungary
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Campana LG, Daud A, Lancellotti F, Arroyo JP, Davalos RV, Di Prata C, Gehl J. Pulsed Electric Fields in Oncology: A Snapshot of Current Clinical Practices and Research Directions from the 4th World Congress of Electroporation. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:3340. [PMID: 37444450 PMCID: PMC10340685 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15133340] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2023] [Revised: 05/29/2023] [Accepted: 06/20/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023] Open
Abstract
The 4th World Congress of Electroporation (Copenhagen, 9-13 October 2022) provided a unique opportunity to convene leading experts in pulsed electric fields (PEF). PEF-based therapies harness electric fields to produce therapeutically useful effects on cancers and represent a valuable option for a variety of patients. As such, irreversible electroporation (IRE), gene electrotransfer (GET), electrochemotherapy (ECT), calcium electroporation (Ca-EP), and tumour-treating fields (TTF) are on the rise. Still, their full therapeutic potential remains underappreciated, and the field faces fragmentation, as shown by parallel maturation and differences in the stages of development and regulatory approval worldwide. This narrative review provides a glimpse of PEF-based techniques, including key mechanisms, clinical indications, and advances in therapy; finally, it offers insights into current research directions. By highlighting a common ground, the authors aim to break silos, strengthen cross-functional collaboration, and pave the way to novel possibilities for intervention. Intriguingly, beyond their peculiar mechanism of action, PEF-based therapies share technical interconnections and multifaceted biological effects (e.g., vascular, immunological) worth exploiting in combinatorial strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca G. Campana
- Department of Surgery, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford Rd., Manchester M13 9WL, UK;
| | - Adil Daud
- Department of Medicine, University of California, 550 16 Street, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA;
| | - Francesco Lancellotti
- Department of Surgery, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford Rd., Manchester M13 9WL, UK;
| | - Julio P. Arroyo
- Department of Biomedical Engineering and Mechanics, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA; (J.P.A.); (R.V.D.)
| | - Rafael V. Davalos
- Department of Biomedical Engineering and Mechanics, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA; (J.P.A.); (R.V.D.)
- Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
| | - Claudia Di Prata
- Department of Surgery, San Martino Hospital, 32100 Belluno, Italy;
| | - Julie Gehl
- Department of Clinical Oncology and Palliative Care, Zealand University Hospital, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark;
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 1165 Copenhagen, Denmark
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Bastrup FA, Vissing M, Gehl J. Electrochemotherapy with intravenous bleomycin for patients with cutaneous malignancies, across tumour histology: a systematic review. Acta Oncol 2022; 61:1093-1104. [DOI: 10.1080/0284186x.2022.2110385] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Freya A. Bastrup
- Department of Clinical Oncology and Palliative Care, Zealand University Hospital, Roskilde, Denmark
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Mille Vissing
- Department of Clinical Oncology and Palliative Care, Zealand University Hospital, Roskilde, Denmark
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Julie Gehl
- Department of Clinical Oncology and Palliative Care, Zealand University Hospital, Roskilde, Denmark
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
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Ruzgys P, Barauskaitė N, Novickij V, Novickij J, Šatkauskas S. The Evidence of the Bystander Effect after Bleomycin Electrotransfer and Irreversible Electroporation. Molecules 2021; 26:molecules26196001. [PMID: 34641546 PMCID: PMC8512684 DOI: 10.3390/molecules26196001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2021] [Revised: 09/16/2021] [Accepted: 09/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
One of current applications of electroporation is electrochemotherapy and electroablation for local cancer treatment. Both of these electroporation modalities share some similarities with radiation therapy, one of which could be the bystander effect. In this study, we aimed to investigate the role of the bystander effect following these electroporation-based treatments. During direct CHO-K1 cell treatment, cells were electroporated using one 100 µs duration square wave electric pulse at 1400 V/cm (for bleomycin electrotransfer) or 2800 V/cm (for irreversible electroporation). To evaluate the bystander effect, the medium was taken from directly treated cells after 24 h incubation and applied on unaffected cells. Six days after the treatment, cell viability and colony sizes were evaluated using the cell colony formation assay. The results showed that the bystander effect after bleomycin electrotransfer had a strong negative impact on cell viability and cell colony size, which decreased to 2.8% and 23.1%, respectively. On the contrary, irreversible electroporation induced a strong positive bystander effect on cell viability, which increased to 149.3%. In conclusion, the results presented may serve as a platform for further analysis of the bystander effect after electroporation-based therapies and may ultimately lead to refined application of these therapies in clinics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paulius Ruzgys
- Biophysical Research Group, Vytautas Magnus University, Vileikos st. 844404, LT-44001 Kaunas, Lithuania; (P.R.); (N.B.)
| | - Neringa Barauskaitė
- Biophysical Research Group, Vytautas Magnus University, Vileikos st. 844404, LT-44001 Kaunas, Lithuania; (P.R.); (N.B.)
| | - Vitalij Novickij
- Institute of High Magnetic Fields, Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, Naugarduko st. 4103227, LT-10224 Vilnius, Lithuania; (V.N.); (J.N.)
| | - Jurij Novickij
- Institute of High Magnetic Fields, Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, Naugarduko st. 4103227, LT-10224 Vilnius, Lithuania; (V.N.); (J.N.)
| | - Saulius Šatkauskas
- Biophysical Research Group, Vytautas Magnus University, Vileikos st. 844404, LT-44001 Kaunas, Lithuania; (P.R.); (N.B.)
- Correspondence:
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High-Frequency and High-Voltage Asymmetric Bipolar Pulse Generator for Electroporation Based Technologies and Therapies. ELECTRONICS 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/electronics10101203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Currently, in high-frequency electroporation, much progress has been made but limited to research groups with custom-made laboratory prototype electroporators. According to the review of electroporators and economic evaluations, there is still an area of pulse parameters that needs to be investigated. The development of an asymmetric bipolar pulse generator with a maximum voltage of 4 kV and minimum duration time of a few hundred nanoseconds, would enable in vivo evaluation of biological effects of high-frequency electroporation pulses. Herein, from a series of most commonly used drivers and optical isolations in high-voltage pulse generators the one with optimal characteristics was used. In addition, the circuit topology of the developed device is described in detail. The developed device is able to generate 4 kV pulses, with theoretical 131 A maximal current and 200 ns minimal pulse duration, the maximal pulse repetition rate is 2 MHz and the burst maximal repetition rate is 1 MHz. The device was tested in vivo. The effectiveness of electrochemotherapy of high-frequency electroporation pulses is compared to “classical” electrochemotherapy pulses. In vivo electrochemotherapy with high-frequency electroporation pulses was at least as effective as with “classical” well-established electric pulses, resulting in 86% and 50% complete responses, respectively. In contrast to previous reports, however, muscle contractions were comparable between the two protocols.
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