Procedural sedation: elicitation of societal preferences

Principal investigator: Francesco Costa – Patrizio Armeni

Team UB/Cergas: Francesco Costa – Patrizio Armeni – Ludovica Borsoi  

Sponsor: Viatris Italia

Duration: 4 months

Abstract:

In order to sedate those undergoing the investigation and allow the procedure to be performed more easily and effectively, anesthesiologists provide sedative drugs. Currently, the main anesthetic drugs used are: propofol; midazolam and remimazolam. Remimazolam is a new drug, recently acquired by Viatris and currently marketed in Italy in Cnn range. Its pharmacokinetic characteristics and allow for an easily controllable and shorter duration of action than other benzodiazepines, with faster patient recovery and potentially less organizational impact on the dispensing facility. In addition, its pharmacodynamic profile does not require the use of flumazenil as an antidote. The choice between propofol, midazolam, and remimazolam depends on the specific needs of the patient, the duration of the procedure, and the preferences of the anesthesiologist and possibly the patient who is to undergo endoscopic procedures. The objective of this project is to support Viatris market access in creating a value proposition for the drug remimazolam by delving as a dimension of value into company and patient preferences in the different alternatives available for procedural sedation.

Methods: Study of individual preferences: Discrete Choice Experiment (DCE)

The elicitation of patient preferences for different health care options has potentially important implications for evaluating the benefits of medical interventions, as it provides insight into which attributes of the available option are most valued by patients. DCEs are a class of evaluation techniques used to study individual preferences for alternatives. With DCE methodology, individuals are asked via a questionnaire to choose among alternative interventions (e.g., different approaches to procedural sedation).