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Le benzodiazepine nel trattamento dell’ansia: profilo clinico e farmacoeconomico

Farmeconomia

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Field Value
 
Title Le benzodiazepine nel trattamento dell’ansia: profilo clinico e farmacoeconomico
 
Creator Cascio, Barbara
Zaniolo, Orietta
 
Subject Pharmacoeconomics; Health economics
Anxiety disorders; Panic; Costs; Benzodiazepines; Generic drugs
 
Description Anxiety disorders impose a significant economic burden on healthcare system, patients and society as a whole. A patient with anxiety disorders, especially with panic disorder, shows some difficulties to work or to maintain an acceptable social functioning, and, frequently, needs more medical care than a normal subject, often due to unnecessary or inappropriate diagnostic tests. Adequate psychiatric treatment of anxiety disorders can lead to higher direct specialists costs (psychiatric drugs and visits) but this may be offset by a decrease in non-specialist care costs and in indirect costs. Benzodiazepines have been extensively used for the treatment of anxiety and related disorders since the 1960s. Although new pharmacological and psychological treatments for anxiety are available, a lot of psychiatrists continue to endorse benzodiazepines as primary or adjunctive treatment for these disturbs, especially in the early or acute phases of the illness. In Italy, benzodiazepines have been available also as generic drugs for some years. In order to be accepted for marketing, a generic drug has to demonstrate bioequivalence, considered a reliable proxy of therapeutic equivalence, with the standard formulation and its price has to be at least 20% cheaper than the originator drug. The use of generic drugs can contain drug expenditures and facilitate a competitive market. Despite that their prices are considerably higher than those of generics, branded benzodiazepines are still widely prescribed, because of prejudices and lack of information in the community of physicians and patients. In conclusion, benzodiazepines may treat anxiety disorders, mainly in early and acute phases, increasing quality of life and saving medical resources. The availability of generics allows for marginal reduction in initial investment in drug costs.
 
Publisher SEEd Medical Publishers
 
Date 2005-12-15
 
Type info:eu-repo/semantics/article
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
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Format application/pdf
 
Identifier https://journals.edizioniseed.it/index.php/FE/article/view/852
10.7175/fe.v6i4.852
 
Source Farmeconomia. Health economics and therapeutic pathways; Vol 6, No 4 (2005); 353-363
2240-256X
 
Language eng
 
Relation https://journals.edizioniseed.it/index.php/FE/article/view/852/936
 
Rights Copyright (c) 2005 Farmeconomia. Health economics and therapeutic pathways
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0