ARE ECONOMIC EVALUATION GUIDELINES REQUIRED FOR JAPAN?
Pang F, Abbott Laboratories UK, Maidenhead, United Kingdom OBJECTIVES: Economic evaluation guideline development has been rapid throughout the world over the last decade. The objective of this study was to establish whether economic evaluation guidelines are needed for the Japanese healthcare system. METHODS: A questionnaire survey of 30 Japanese academics, industry representatives and clinicians was conducted posing five questions on 1) the need for guidelines and their purpose; 2) the willingness of the respondent to participate in guideline development; 3) whether the respondent has conducted or outsourced an economic evaluation in the previous 12 months; 4) predicting when guideline development will take place; and 5) what are the current obstacles to guideline development in Japan. RESULTS: There was an 81.5% response rate. One hundred percent of respondents stated that there was a need for economic evaluation guidelines (47.8% for reimbursement, 78.2% to maintain methodological s
