CODE 111587 ACADEMIC YEAR 2026/2027 CREDITS 5 cfu anno 4 FARMACIA 11673 (LM-13.) - GENOVA SCIENTIFIC DISCIPLINARY SECTOR CHIM/09 LANGUAGE Italian TEACHING LOCATION GENOVA SEMESTER 2° Semester MODULES Questo insegnamento è un modulo di: PHARMACOECONOMICS AND PHARMACY MANAGEMENT (INTEGRATED COURSE) OVERVIEW The course provides knowledge and skills to understand and apply the principles of economic evaluation of medicines and healthcare treatments, with particular reference to the role of the pharmacist within the Italian National Health Service and in hospital settings. AIMS AND CONTENT LEARNING OUTCOMES The module offers a general introduction to socioeconomics, with particular attention to pharmacoeconomics, health economics aspects, main economic evaluation methods, and related cost calculations and benefit quantification; it also provides knowledge on decision-making models, sensitivity analyses applied to economic evaluations, and presents examples of pharmacoeconomic analyses reported in the literature. AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES The students will be provided with the basics of health economics, including outpatient and hospital pharmaceutical expenditure, and price management based on drug classification; the main economic evaluation methods will be explained, with a particular focus on cost and outcome quantification. Moreover, the course will cover decision models used in pharmacoeconomics, Budget Impact Analysis, Managed Entry Agreements, sensitivity and uncertainty analysis methods, and the review of published pharmacoeconomic studies. By the end of the course, the students will be able to: Describe the main economic evaluation methodologies and apply them in professional practice Calculate and interpret ICER and QALY Understand the structure of a decision model Interpret sensitivity analyses Critically evaluate a pharmacoeconomic study Understand pricing and reimbursement processes in Italy Understand a HTA (Health Technology Assessment) process PREREQUISITES Basic knowledge of the organization of the Italian National Health Service, acquired in previous courses, is required. TEACHING METHODS The course consists of approximately 40 hours of lectures and uses teaching materials provided to students via Aulaweb. Students with valid certifications for Specific Learning Disorders (SLD), disabilities, or other recognized educational needs are invited to contact the lecturer and the Department disability representative (Prof. Luca Raiteri, Luca.Raiteri@unige.it) at the beginning of the course to arrange suitable teaching methods that respect learning objectives while considering individual learning styles. IMPORTANT: Requests for exam accommodations MUST be submitted at least 10 working days before the exam date, following the instructions at: https://unige.it/disabilita-dsa/comunicazioni SYLLABUS/CONTENT Introduction to pharmacoeconomics and pharmaceutical expenditure governance Reimbursed pharmaceutical expenditure and direct procurement Classification of pharmaceutical expenditure items Medicinal products classification for reimbursement purposes and price determination Health Technology Assessment process Main economic evaluation methods: Cost-Minimization Analysis, Cost-Effectiveness Analysis, ICER, Cost-Utility Analysis, Cost-Benefit Analysis Evaluation of direct healthcare and non-healthcare costs, and indirect costs Diagnosis-Related Group Micro-costing and top-down methods Outcome measurement, QALY and DALY Health-Related Quality of Life and preference methods Time Trade-Off and Standard Gamble in health economics Decision models in pharmacoeconomics: decision trees and Markov models Estimation and use of transition probabilities Budget Impact Analysis Managed Entry Agreements Biosimilars and their economic sustainability Sensitivity and uncertainty analysis Cost-Effectiveness Acceptability Curve Economic evaluations and risk of bias, Drummond Checklist Critical evaluation of pharmacoeconomic analyses RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY In general, lecture notes and materials available on Aulaweb are sufficient for exam preparation. The following texts are suggested for further reading: Rascati, Karen L. Essentials of pharmacoeconomics: health economics and outcomes research. 3. ed., Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2021 Arnold, Renee J. G. Pharmacoeconomics: From Theory to Practice. Edited By Renee J. G. Arnold, 2. ed, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon: CRC, 2021 TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD GIORGIA AILUNO Ricevimento: The teacher receives the students by appointment agreed through the institutional mail address available on the University website (giorgia.ailuno@unige.it). SARA BALDASSARI Ricevimento: Appointments with students can be arranged by phone call or email. GUENDALINA ZUCCARI Ricevimento: Every day upon student's request by mail. LESSONS LESSONS START Visit the following webpage: https://corsi.unige.it/corsi/11893/studenti-orario The timetable for this course can be found at: Portale EasyAcademy Class schedule The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy EXAMS EXAM DESCRIPTION The exam consists of a written examination aimed at assessing theoretical knowledge and the ability to apply learned concepts. One mid-term and one final-term examinations will also be held during the course. ASSESSMENT METHODS The exam evaluates knowledge of the fundamentals of socioeconomics and pharmacoeconomics through questions, quizzes, and/or exercises. Evaluation criteria include: Mastery of the subject Ability to address topics in an interdisciplinary way Clarity of presentation and appropriate use of technical terminology FURTHER INFORMATION Contact the teachers for further information not included in the course description.
