WINTER 2015/16

Spotlight on research Upcoming events

Staff news New funding

Recent publications

INSIDE THIS ISSUE...

Welcome to the Winter 2015/16 newsletter

of the Centre for Health Economics and

Medicines Evaluation (CHEME)

In this issue, we focus on recent achievements and research activities

at CHEME over the last six months. Highlights include: a spotlight on

the KiVa anti bullying project highlighting schools as an important

setting for public health research, and research concerning treatments

for rare diseases. Most recent publications from CHEME include a

review of methods in trial-based economic evaluation and new

estimates of the high prevalence of untreated depression in patients

accessing low-vision services in the NHS.

More information on research, teaching and NHS support activities is

available from our website: cheme.bangor.ac.uk or contact our

administrator Ann Lawton: cheme@bangor.ac.uk. Follow us on

Twitter @CHEMEBangor and @ProfRTEdwards.

Professor Rhiannon Tudor Edwards & Professor Dyfrig Hughes

CHEME co-directors

Dyfrig Hughes and Catrin Plumpton presenting at ESPACOMP 2015

SPOTLIGHT ON RESEARCH...

Economics of orphan drugs

Dyfrig Hughes and his team's programme of research in orphan drugs include an investigation of how the repurposing of old drugs might lead to more cost-effective treatments (with Elin Haf Davies), an assessment of the profitability and market value of orphan drug companies (with Dr Jannine Poletti Hughes, University of Liverpool), a study of the public's preferences for funding of orphan drugs (Siobhan Bourke and Catrin Plumpton), and assessments of the cost-effectiveness of treatments for neuromyelitis optica (with Siobhan Bourke and Dr Anu Jacob, Walton Centre), and polyarteritis nodosa (with Elin Haf Davies and Professor Paul Brogan, UCL).

Research into school anti-bullying initiatives – the KiVa programme

The Kings Fund (2013) has commented upon the importance of schools as settings for public health programmes, and programmes aimed to address bullying were highlighted in their report ‘Improving the public’s health, a resource for local authorities’. The Social Research Unit at Dartington is implementing and evaluating the KiVa Anti-bullying programme (which originated in Finland) for primary schools in Wales. This evaluation is being conducted in partnership with the Centre for Evidence Based Early Intervention at Bangor University and the Children’s Early Intervention Trust, and with support from the programme developer, Professor Christina Salmivalli.

Joanna Charles and Rhiannon Tudor Edwards from CHEME have conducted micro-costing analyses alongside the evaluation to provide the costs of implementing KiVa in Wales in its first year.

For more information about the KiVa programme please see http://www.kivaprogram.net/wales

2 Day Short Course - Health Economics for Public Health Practice and Research, 14th-16th March 2016

Health Economics for Public Health Practice & Research 2 Day Short Course at Bangor University 14th—16th March 2016.

The course costs £775 and includes meals & accommodation from 4pm Monday 14th March to 2.45pm Wednesday 16th March at the Management Centre, Bangor. Registration closes 12th February 2016.

There are still a few places available. To register and pay, please contact: Mrs Ann Lawton at cheme@bangor.ac.uk

Clinical Pharmacology Colloquium

Dyfrig Hughes will be hosting the Clinical Pharmacology Colloquium in May. This biannual meeting brings together academics and clinicians to present research related to clinical pharmacology and therapeutics.

CHEME lunchtime seminars

Confirmed dates and speakers for 2016:

• March 1st - Professor Jo Coast, Bristol University

• May 3rd - Rebecca Warboys, Public Health England

June 7th - Dr Manuel Gomes, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

July 5th - Professor Sarah Byford, Kings College London

October 4th—Professor Colin Green, Exeter University

November 1st—Professor Katherine Payne, University of Manchester.

We are hoping to share podcasts of audio and slides from seminars with agreement from the presenters. For further information on the seminar series please contact l.tuersley@bangor.ac.uk

UPCOMING EVENTS...

Staff News...

Ned Hartfiel with his thesis and supervisor Rhiannon Tudor Edwards

method approach to economic evaluation in public health: yoga for managing musculoskeletal conditions in the workplace’.

Alan Moore recently joined CHEME to pursue a PhD concerning the Economics of Motor Neurone Disease (MND). Funded by the Motor Neurone Disease Association, and supervised by Dyfrig Hughes and Professor Carolyn Young at the Walton Centre, Alan's PhD will produce valuable evidence to support the provision of care for patients with MND.

Dan McManus was awarded an MRC-funded PhD studentship on developing linked pharmacometric-pharmacoeconomic analyses in clinical drug development. Supervised by Dyfrig Hughes and Dr Steven Lane of the University of Liverpool, and in collaboration with Pfizer, Dan aims to develop models to provide early estimates of cost-effectiveness during drug development.

New Funding

Dyfrig Hughes is co-applicant on the recently funded £1.5m British Heart Foundation UK Early Mitral Surgery trial. Led by Professor Simon Guy of Wythenshawe Hospital, this trial of

Dyfrig Hughes was recently appointed as an honorary professor at the Department of Molecular and Clinical Pharmacology at the University of Liverpool. He has also been selected to be health economist member of the All Wales Medicines Strategy Group, which is charged with making decisions on the availability of new medicines in Wales.

Elin Haf Davies took part in a 3000-mile sailing race across the Atlantic. Elin raised money and awareness for Findacure www.findacure.org.uk a charity dedicated to supporting patients with rare diseases and in particular the repurposing of drugs for new indications. Over the years Elin has raised nearly £300,000 for the charities that she supports.

Laura Timmis and Tania Seale (funded by Tenovus Cancer Care undertaking her PhD with the North

Wales Centre for Primary Care Research) are both volunteers and fundraisers for Tenovus Cancer Care. In February Laura and Tania completed a sponsored 10km run for Tenovus Cancer Care, raising a total of £402.50!

Congratulations to Ned Hartfiel on passing his PhD viva. Ned undertook his PhD on ‘A multiple

325 patients aims to test the hypothesis that a strategy of early mitral valve surgery is superior to a strategy of watchful waiting and guideline driven surgery for asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic patients with severe primary mitral regurgitation. The economic implications are potentially significant should early surgery be shown to be a more effective clinical pathway.

Rhiannon Tudor Edwards and Carys Jones will be responsible for economic evaluation of the PrAISED research programme - Promoting Activity, Independence and Stability in Early Dementia. This is a £2.8million award by NIHR, led by Professor Rowan Harwood, Nottingham University Hosptials NHS Trust.

Recent Events

Research Showcase Bangor University

CHEME had a good presence with both oral and poster presentations at the inaugural Health and Medical Research Showcase for Bangor University and Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board. The conference was attended by Dr Ruth Hussey, the Chief Medical Officer for Wales, and over 110 delegates.

MRC Network of Hubs for Trials Methodology Research Workshop

Colin Ridyard, Dyfrig Hughes, and Lorna Tuersley contributed to a workshop on Health Economics Analysis Plans (HEAP) in Bristol. Attended by over 50 health economists, the workshop aimed to open a dialogue and initiate the development of a HEAP template for use in clinical trials. Dyfrig Hughes presented on the trials and tribulations of HEAPs in the context of two recently completed RCTs.

Recent Events—contd

Health Economists’ Study Group (HESG)

This year’s Winter HESG meeting was held in Manchester. Nathan Bray submitted the findings for the six month follow up of his Warm Homes for Health project for discussion. PhD student Laura Timmis submitted her analysis of different methods for generating attributes and levels in DCE applied to gynaecological cancer follow up.

School of Healthcare Science Conference

The guest speaker of the annual Conference of the School of Healthcare Sciences was Dr Theresa Shaw (Chief Executive of the Foundation of Nursing Studies). CHEME PhD students Siobhan Bourke and Beth Thompson presented their research.

Recent Publications

Ridyard CH, Dawoud DMM, Tuersley LV, Hughes DA. A Systematic Review of Patients’ Perspectives on the Subcutaneous Route of Medication Administration. Patient. 2016. DOI 10.1007/s40271-015-0160-x

Hughes D, Charles J, Dawoud D, Edwards RT, Holmes E, Jones C, Parham P, Plumpton C, Ridyard C, Lloyd-Williams H, Wood E, Yeo ST. Conducting economic evaluations alongside randomised trials: Current methodological issues. Pharmacoeconomics. 2016 Jan. DOI 10.1007/s40273-015-0371-y

Ridyard CH, Hughes DA, DIRUM Team. Review of resource-use measures in UK economic evaluations. In: PSSRU Unit Costs of Health and Social Care 2015: 22-31. Compiled by Lesley Curtis and Amanda Burns. University of Kent 2015

Jenkinson MD, Javadpour M, Haylock BJ, Young B, Gillard H, Vinten J, Bulbeck H, Das K, Farrell M, Looby S, Hickey H, Preusser M, Mallucci CL, Hughes D, Gamble C, Weber DC. The

ROAM/EORTC-1308 trial: Radiation versus Observation following surgical resection of Atypical Meningioma: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial. Trials. 2015 Nov 14;16:519.

Powell G, Holmes EA, Plumpton CO, Ring A, Baker GA, Jacoby A, Pirmohamed M, Marson AG, Hughes DA. Pharmacogenetic testing prior to carbamazepine treatment of epilepsy: patients' and physicians' preferences for testing and service delivery. Br J Clin Pharmacol. 2015 Nov;80(5):1149-59

Berry V, Axford N, Blower S, Taylor RS, Edwards RT, Tobin K, Jones C, Bywater T. The effectiveness and micro-costing analysis of a universal, school-based, social-emotional learning programme in the UK: A cluster-randomised controlled trial. School Mental Health. 2015 Oct, doi: 10.1007/s12310-015-9160-1

Richter T, Nestler-Parr S, Babela R, Khan ZM, Tesoro T, Molsen E, Hughes DA. International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research Rare Disease Special Interest Group. Rare Disease Terminology and Definitions-A Systematic Global Review: Report of the ISPOR Rare Disease Special Interest Group. Value Health. 2015 Sep;18(6):906-14.

Nollett CL, Bray N, Bunce C, Casten RJ, Edwards RT, Hegel MT, Janikoun S, Jumbe SE, Ryan B, Shearn J, Smith DJ, Stanford M, Xing W, Margrain TH. (2015). High Prevalence of Untreated Depression in Patients Accessing Low-Vision Services. Ophthalmology. 2015 Aug. pii: S0161-6420(15)00680-6.

Quinn C, Toms G, Jones C, Brand A, Edwards RT, Sanders F, Clare L. A pilot randomized controlled trial of a self-management group intervention for people with early-stage dementia (The SMART study). International Psychogeriatrics. 2015. In press. doi:10.1017/S1041610215002094 Economics & Outcome Research: Open Access 1:105. doi: 10.4172/heor.1000105

Jones C, Edwards RT, Nelis SM, Jones IR, Hindle JV, Thom JM, Cooney J, Clare L. Cost-effectiveness findings from the Agewell pilot study of behaviour change to promote health and wellbeing in later life. Health Economics & Outcome Research: Open Access 2015;1:105. doi: 10.4172/heor.1000105

Blair J, Gregory JW, Hughes D, Ridyard CH, Gamble C, McKay A, Didi M, Thornborough K, Bedson E, Awoyale L, Cwiklinski E, Peak M. Study protocol for a randomised controlled trial of insulin delivery by continuous subcutaneous infusion compared to multiple daily injections. Trials. 2015 Apr;16:163.

Ridyard CH, Hughes DA, DIRUM Team. Taxonomy for methods of resource use measurement. Health Econ. 2015 Mar;24(3):372-8.

Presentations

Dyfrig Hughes gave the plenary keynote presentation on the ‘Economics of medication adherence’ at this year's European Society for Patient Adherence, Compliance and Persistence (ESPACOMP) at Prague. Together with Catrin Plumpton and Dr Mickaël Hiligsmann of Maastricht University, they delivered a workshop on Economic evaluation methods and applications to medication adherence. Dyfrig Hughes will chair the Scientific Organising Committee for the 2016 ESPACOMP conference at Lisbon.

At Bangor University’s Research Showcase this year, Seow Tien Yeo presented on the ‘Cost and consequences of earlier diagnosis of lung cancer: Lowering the current NICE threshold for higher-risk patients across Wales and England’, Joanna Charles presented ‘Health Care Resource Allocation Decisions Assessing the BCUHB Respiratory Care Pathway - Programme Budgeting Marginal Analysis in Action’ and Nathan Bray presented at the Research Showcase for BCUHB on ‘Mobility and Quality of Life: Development of a novel mobility-related utility measure for economic evaluation’.

Centre for Health Economics & Medicines Evaluation

Ardudwy, Normal Site, Bangor University,

Bangor, Gwynedd, LL57 2PZ