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Pharmaceutical Drugs

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Although pharmaceutical drugs on the whole greatly improve patient outcomes and quality of life when used as prescribed, they are not without their complications. RAND research on pharmaceuticals examines their safety and effectiveness, relevant health economics issues, prescription drug abuse, challenges related to access and adherence, and pharmaceutical regulatory policy.

Report

Biosimilar Drugs May Reduce U.S. Health Spending by $54 Billion

Oct 23, 2017

Biologics are complex drugs used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, cancer, and other diseases. They accounted for 70 percent of the growth in U.S. prescription drug spending between 2010 and 2015. Biosimilar versions of biologics could cut health care costs by $54 billion over the next decade.
Journal Article

Risky Prescribing of Opioids Linked to More Fatal Overdoses and Other Deaths

Jun 18, 2018

When patients are prescribed opioids in risky ways, their chance of dying increases, and their odds of death go higher as the number of risky opioid prescriptions increases.

Explore Pharmaceutical Drugs

Journal Article

Nearly Thirty Percent of Physicians' Opioid Prescriptions Lack a Pain Diagnosis

Medical use of opioids has increased dramatically over the past two decades, far exceeding increases in the prevalence of pain. No pain diagnosis was recorded at 28.5 percent of physician visits in which an opioid was prescribed.

Sep 14, 2018
Infographic

Managing Pain with Alternative Therapies

This infographic compiles information from hundreds of reviews of the evidence on the effect of alternative and integrative therapies, such as acupuncture, mindfulness (meditation), and Tai Chi, on different types of pain.

Aug 24, 2018
Report

Report

RAND Medicare Advantage (MA) and Part D Contract Star Ratings Technical Expert Panel May 31st 2018 Meeting

On May 31, 2018, the RAND Corporation convened a Technical Expert Panel (TEP) to gather input on analyses that could be conducted to further enhance the Medicare Advantage (MA) and Part D Contract Star Ratings program.

Aug 23, 2018
Journal Article

Journal Article

Evidence-Based Best Practices for Outpatient Management of Warfarin

Three recommendations to improve warfarin management at outpatient clinics are: measure your own performance, have a working registry, try to emulate the aspects of structure of care associated with higher time in therapeutic range (TTR).

Aug 22, 2018
Dissertation

Dissertation

Increasing Access to Medication-Assisted Treatment for Opioid Use Disorders: Estimating Costs, Supply, and the Effects of Insurance Expansions

This dissertation measures access to buprenorphine, the fastest growing form of medication-assisted treatment, and the effects of demand side interventions aiming to tackle the opioid problem in America.

Aug 14, 2018
Journal Article

Journal Article

Nursing Home Infection Control Program Characteristics, CMS Citations, and Implementation of Antibiotic Stewardship Policies: A National Study

National baseline data on nursing home infection control programs will aid evaluations of a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services rule requiring facilities to include an antibiotic stewardship and employ an infection preventionist.

Jul 6, 2018
Journal Article

Journal Article

Is Mental Illness a Risk Factor for Hospital Readmission?

Focusing on medication reconciliation or care transition services could help reduce readmission rates for Medicare beneficiaries with mental illness.

Jul 3, 2018
Research Brief

Consider a Range of Policy Areas to Solve the Opioid Crisis

Many thoughtful policies have been implemented to reduce access to opioids and enhance treatment for addiction. But policies targeting one part of the system can have unintended effects on another. To combat the crisis, decisionmakers will need to weigh potential policy outcomes across the entire opioid ecosystem.

Jun 29, 2018
Journal Article

Use of Medication Therapy to Treat Opioid Abuse Among Medicaid Recipients Increased After Approval of New Drug

The number of Medicaid recipients receiving medication to treat opioid abuse increased sharply in the years after approval of buprenorphine, but the increase was smaller in poorer counties and areas with larger populations of black and Hispanic residents.

Jun 27, 2018
News Release

News Release

Use of Medication Therapy to Treat Opioid Abuse Among Medicaid Recipients Increased After Approval of New Drug

The number of Medicaid recipients receiving medication to treat opioid abuse increased sharply in the years after approval of buprenorphine, but the increase was smaller in poorer counties and areas with larger populations of black and Hispanic residents.

Jun 25, 2018
Research Brief

Substance Use Among U.S. Active-Duty Service Members

The 2015 Health Related Behaviors Survey asked active-duty service members about their use of alcohol, tobacco, and illicit and prescription drugs. Cigarette smoking in the military has decreased over the past decade, but rates of binge drinking are still high enough to cause concern.

Jun 21, 2018
Journal Article

Journal Article

Protocol for a Randomised Trial of Higher Versus Lower Intensity Patient-Provider Communication Interventions to Reduce Antibiotic Misuse in Two Paediatric Ambulatory Clinics in the US

Effective parent-provider communication about antibiotics can reduce inappropriate antibiotic prescribing and use, but there is a dearth of interventions targeting this issue.

Jun 21, 2018
News Release

News Release

Risky Prescribing of Opioids Linked to More Fatal Overdoses and Other Deaths

When patients are prescribed opioids in risky ways, their chance of dying increases, and their odds of death go higher as the number of risky opioid prescriptions increases.

Jun 18, 2018
Journal Article

The U.S. Opioid Epidemic: One Disease, Diverging Tales

To date, the stigma associated with opioid dependence has had the untoward effect of discouraging treatment-seeking behavior before the occurrence of an adverse event.

Jun 1, 2018
Journal Article

Journal Article

Addressing the Opioid Epidemic in the United States: Lessons from the Department of Veterans Affairs

Reflecting a comprehensive VA effort to improve pain management, in 2007 fewer veterans received high doses of opioids and more veterans received non-opioid pain therapies, naloxone, and treatment for substance use disorders.

Apr 26, 2018
Journal Article

Journal Article

Impact of Issuing Longer- Versus Shorter- Duration Prescriptions: A Systematic Review

UK recommendations to provide shorter prescriptions are not substantiated by the current evidence base.

Mar 14, 2018
Journal Article

Market Supply and the Opioid Crisis: Looking Back for a Path Forward

Abundant supply of opioids was one of the major causes of the opioid crisis. Broader supply-side policies that consider the full market, if coupled with effective treatment, are likely to be effective and resistant to substitution effects.

Mar 1, 2018
Journal Article

Journal Article

The Evaluation of Medical Inpatients Who Are Admitted on Long-term Opioid Therapy for Chronic Pain

Outpatient guidelines can help hospitalists evaluate inpatients on long-term opioid therapy, but more work is needed to help providers make decisions for inpatients that balance effective pain treatment and opioid risk reduction.

Feb 13, 2018
Journal Article

Journal Article

High-Risk Prescribing to Medicaid Enrollees Receiving Opioid Analgesics: Individual- and County-Level Factors

Among Medicaid recipients, high-risk prescribing of opioids occurred in 39.4% of episodes. Four characteristics -- Older age, rural county of residence, white race, and major depression diagnosis -- were associated with higher rates of all types of high-risk prescribing.

Jan 16, 2018

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RAND Topic:
Pharmaceutical Drugs

Topic Synonyms:
Medicinal Drugs

Research conducted by

RAND Health