The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 272 No 7296 p516
24 April 2004

An introduction to pharmacoeconomics in a clear and accessible tone

‘Pharmacoeconomics’, by Tom Walley, Alan Haycox and Angela Boland. Pp 216. Price £29.99. London: Elsevier; 2003. ISBN 044307240X

This book provides a solid yet concise introduction to the field of health economics with an emphasis on its application to medicines. The aim of the book is to introduce the non-specialist reader to the theory as well as to the practice of health economics. A number of chapters deal with the context within which health economics operates by addressing the issue of health care budgeting and health systems, which provides an interesting perspective. The diversity in backgrounds of the authors, academics, industry experts and public health specialists, provides different approaches to the issues that will prove useful to readers with different interests.

Some chapters are a little repetitive, in particular with respect to the application of economics to clinical trials, which is covered in two different chapters. However, in general this short introduction is written in a clear and accessible tone. The material presented is up to date. In particular, the chapter on modelling presents recent developments in the field of health economics in a succinct and practical manner.

This book is recommended to anyone wishing to acquire a better, yet critical, understanding of this rapidly emerging field.


Rachael Fleurence

Rachael Fleurence is a health economist in the department of health sciences at the University of York