| Literature DB >> 25336962 |
Johan Lökk1, Sara Olofsson2, Ulf Persson2.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: The Swedish reimbursement system operates a system where prices are set based on the expected value to the consumer. This value can be measured using willingness to pay (WTP). AIM: To assess Parkinson's disease (PD) patients' WTP for newly developed microtablets of levodopa in combination with a drug-delivering electronic device (M/E) compared to standard treatment with levodopa in combination with the COMT (catechol-O-methyl transferase)-inhibitor entacapone (L/e).Entities:
Keywords: Parkinson’s disease; WTP; levodopa; microtablets
Year: 2014 PMID: 25336962 PMCID: PMC4199841 DOI: 10.2147/JMDH.S67929
Source DB: PubMed Journal: J Multidiscip Healthc ISSN: 1178-2390
Example of hypothetical willingness to pay scenario
| Assume that your doctor tells you that there is a new version of levodopa. This version means a new type of drug delivery. You take microtablets containing 5 mg levodopa per tablet using an electronic device which makes it possible to adjust the dose individually. | |
| Also assume that the county council pays the entire cost of your current treatment. The county council will pay the same amount for the new version of levodopa, but since the new version is more expensive you need to pay the additional cost out-of-pocket. | |
| [A picture of Stalevo tablets were included] | [A picture of microtablets and electronic device were included] |
| 1. You take your pills approximately 3–4 times per day. One pill contains between 25 and 200 mg levodopa. | 1. You take your pills approximately 6–8 times per day. One pill contains 5 mg levodopa, which means that you can adjust your dose more precisely. |
| 2. You bring your pills with you during the day in a tablet container or dose-dispenser. | 2. You bring your pills with you during the day in the electronic device which you can attach to your belt or put in your pocket or bag. |
| 3. You need to remember when it is time to take your medication. | 3. The electronic device reminds you when it is time to take your medication by making a sound, light, and/or vibration, and distributes the dose from the incorporated container. |
| 4. You take your pill by swallowing it with a glass of water. | 4. You put your pills (5–20 pills) in an ordinary cup or glass of water. The pills are dispersed in 10 seconds and you drink the solution. |
| 5. You need to remember when you have taken your pill, eg, by using a dose-dispenser or by making a note. | 5. The electronic device records when you have taken your pills, what dose you took, and you are able to use the device to register your health. |
| 6. You need to load the batteries for the electronic device at least every-other night. | |
| A. What treatment do you prefer? | |
| B. Would you be prepared to pay something to receive treatment with microtablets and electronic device? | |
| C. Given your household’s current income, what is the highest amount you would be prepared to pay per month to receive your treatment with microtablets and electronic device instead of your current treatment with Stalevo/Comtess? To help you answer this question, eight different amounts are presented below in a random order. Indicate for each amount whether you would be willing to pay the amount, if you are unsure/don’t know, or if you are not willing to pay the amount. Amounts presented: SEK80, SEK800, SEK300, SEK50, SEK3,000, SEK10, SEK1,500, SEK1 per month. | |
| D. What is the highest amount you would be willing to pay to receive microtablets and electronic device instead of Stalevo/Comtess? | |
| E. How certain are you that you would pay this amount for microtablets and electronic device? | |
Demographics and personal characteristics of the responders
| Characteristic | Proportion (%)
| |
|---|---|---|
| All | Using entacapone | |
| Sex | ||
| Woman | 42.14 | 37.79 |
| Man | 57.56 | 62.21 |
| No answer | 0.30 | 0.00 |
| Age | ||
| >30 years | 0.10 | 0.00 |
| 30–39 years | 0.20 | 0.29 |
| 40–49 years | 1.00 | 1.74 |
| 50–59 years | 5.61 | 6.98 |
| 60–69 years | 31.93 | 37.50 |
| 70–79 years | 47.05 | 41.86 |
| ≤80 years | 13.61 | 11.63 |
| No answer | 0.50 | 0.00 |
| Number of adults in household | ||
| 1 | 26.33 | 25.87 |
| 2 | 68.47 | 68.90 |
| 3 or more | 3.50 | 4.07 |
| No answer | 1.70 | 1.16 |
| Number of children in household | ||
| None | 97.00 | 96.22 |
| 1 or more | 1.90 | 1.45 |
| No answer | 1.10 | 1.16 |
| Education | ||
| Elementary school | 28.93 | 23.55 |
| High school | 28.23 | 28.20 |
| University | 34.23 | 40.41 |
| Other | 5.31 | 4.36 |
| No answer | 3.30 | 3.49 |
| Occupation | ||
| Employed | 5.61 | 7.27 |
| Retired | 82.08 | 78.78 |
| Sick leave | 5.51 | 6.69 |
| Unemployed | 0.20 | 0.58 |
| Self-employed | 2.10 | 2.33 |
| Other | 0.90 | 0.87 |
| No answer | 3.60 | 3.49 |
| Household income (SEK/month) | ||
| >19,900 | 18.42 | 16.86 |
| 20,000–29,900 | 22.02 | 23.84 |
| 30,000–39,900 | 19.82 | 17.73 |
| 40,000–49,900 | 10.91 | 13.37 |
| 50,000–59,900 | 5.51 | 6.10 |
| 60,000–69,900 | 2.40 | 2.62 |
| 70,000–79,900 | 1.90 | 2.03 |
| ≤80,000 | 1.60 | 2.62 |
| Prefer not to answer | 11.91 | 8.43 |
| No answer | 5.51 | 6.40 |
Disease and treatment characteristics of the responders
| Characteristic | Proportion (%) or average (SD)
| |
|---|---|---|
| All | Using entacapone | |
| Disease duration (years) | 9.01 (6.41) | 10.49 (6.03) |
| Disease severity | ||
| Mild | 19.52 | 16.28 |
| Moderate | 60.36 | 62.21 |
| Severe | 18.52 | 19.77 |
| No information | 1.60 | 1.74 |
| Drugs used for treatment of Parkinson | ||
| Madopark | 52.35 | 36.34 |
| Sinemet | 23.22 | 15.99 |
| Madopar quick | 48.25 | 58.72 |
| Comtess | 10.71 | 31.10 |
| Stalevo | 24.32 | 70.64 |
| Azilect | 22.62 | 29.65 |
| Sifrol | 26.93 | 26.16 |
| Sifrol depot | 17.32 | 19.77 |
| Requip | 4.70 | 6.98 |
| Requip depot | 11.31 | 14.83 |
| Other | 23.32 | 24.42 |
| Treatment start for levodopa | ||
| 2013 | 1.00 | 0.87 |
| 2012 | 5.41 | 2.62 |
| 2011 | 5.81 | 3.20 |
| 2010 | 8.61 | 6.10 |
| 2009 or earlier | 63.86 | 61.05 |
| No information | 15.32 | 26.16 |
| Levodopa dose per day | ||
| 0–100 mg | 14.41 | 21.22 |
| 101–200 mg | 8.71 | 6.98 |
| 201–300 mg | 9.61 | 5.52 |
| 301–400 mg | 11.71 | 7.27 |
| 401–500 mg | 10.91 | 4.36 |
| More than 500 mg | 21.92 | 17.73 |
| No information | 22.72 | 36.92 |
| Treatment start for entacapone | ||
| 2013 | 2.10 | 4.94 |
| 2012 | 3.00 | 8.14 |
| 2011 | 3.90 | 10.47 |
| 2010 | 4.30 | 12.21 |
| 2009 or earlier | 22.52 | 59.88 |
| No information | 64.16 | 4.36 |
| Number of extra doses of levodopa per day | ||
| None | 46.25 | 46.22 |
| 1 | 13.51 | 17.44 |
| 2 | 5.81 | 8.43 |
| 3 | 2.40 | 2.03 |
| 4 | 0.60 | 0.87 |
| 5 or more | 1.20 | 0.58 |
| No information | 30.23 | 24.42 |
| Total number of tablets per day | 12.39 (6.37) | 13.99 (6.27) |
| Assistance when taking medicine | ||
| No assistance | 74.77 | 72.67 |
| Assistance by relative/friend | 15.51 | 16.57 |
| Assistance by professional caretaker | 9.01 | 10.47 |
| No information | 0.70 | 0.29 |
| Medical device | ||
| None | 39.44 | 35.76 |
| Dosage unit | 24.12 | 22.97 |
| Alarm | 18.62 | 19.77 |
| Dosage unit and/or alarm | 10.01 | 13.08 |
| Other | 6.01 | 6.98 |
| No information | 1.80 | 1.45 |
Abbreviation: SD, standard deviation.
Figure 1Time with symptoms per day for respondents using and not using entacapone.
Abbreviation: min, minutes.
Figure 2Proportion of respondents who prefer microtablets and electronic dispenser to Stalevo/Comtess.
Notes: For situation 1, the number of all respondents was 636; and the number of respondents using entacapone was 301. For situation 2 the number of all respondents was 645; and the number of respondents using entacapone was 308. For situation 3 the number of all respondents was 624; and the number of respondents using entacapone was 296.
Mean WTP in SEK per month (SD) for microtablets and electronic dispenser, of all patients and L/e patients in situations 1, 2, and 3, respectively
| Situation 1 (administration)
| Situation 2 (administration and side effects)
| Situation 3 (administration, side effects, and better effect)
| ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| n | WTP | n | WTP | n | WTP | |
| All respondents | ||||||
| Definitely sure | 159 | 440 (560) | 166 | 490 (612) | 208 | 661 (1,065) |
| Probably sure | 192 | 419 (591) | 189 | 414 (574) | 209 | 532 (702) |
| Total | 688 | 230 (468) | 662 | 252 (491) | 660 | 396 (780) |
| Using entacapone, L/e | ||||||
| Definitely sure | 140 | 296 (464) | 142 | 370 (549) | 158 | 546 (742) |
| Probably sure | 134 | 339 (659) | 125 | 343 (639) | 131 | 541 (816) |
| Total | 298 | 226 (505) | 293 | 256 (530) | 293 | 436 (764) |
Abbreviations: WTP, willingness to pay; SD, standard deviation; L/e, levodopa/entacapone.
Figure 3Demand curves for microtablets and electronic dispenser in situation 1 (A), situation 2 (B), and situation 3 (C) among all respondents and among respondents using entacapone.
Regression of log WTP in situation 1 (new administration), n=177
| Parameter | Coefficient | 95% CI | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Constant | 4.38755 | 2.914982 | 5.860118 | 0.000 |
| Age | −0.0367831 | −0.2566623 | 0.183096 | 0.742 |
| Female | −0.1572513 | −0.5486239 | 0.2341213 | 0.429 |
| University education | 0.4465399 | 0.0560744 | 0.8370054 | 0.025 |
| Income per CU | 0.0000116 | −4.57×10−6 | 0.0000278 | 0.158 |
| Number of extra doses | −0.0062826 | −0.1714674 | 0.1589021 | 0.940 |
| Number of tablets per day | 0.0344342 | 0.0040903 | 0.0647782 | 0.026 |
| Receive treatment assistance | 0.1370892 | −0.3722956 | 0.646474 | 0.596 |
| Number of side effects | −0.029165 | −0.1655115 | 0.1071815 | 0.673 |
| Time with symptoms per day | 0.1498107 | 0.138144 | 0.285807 | 0.031 |
| Definitely sure on WTP | 0.009582 | −0.3597373 | 0.3789013 | 0.959 |
| Using entacapone | −0.0667532 | −0.4645906 | 0.3310842 | 0.741 |
Note:
Statistically significant.
Abbreviations: CI, confidence interval; CU, consumption unit; WTP, willingness to pay.
Regression of log WTP in situation 3 (new administration, less side effects, and a better effect), n=219
| Parameter | Coefficient | 95% CI | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Constant | 4.08886 | 2.780499 | 5.397221 | 0.000 |
| Age | −0.0410659 | −0.234199 | 0.1520672 | 0.676 |
| Female | −0.3313815 | −0.6771363 | 0.0143734 | 0.060 |
| University education | 0.4210315 | 0.0700388 | 0.7720242 | 0.019 |
| Income per CU | 0.0000277 | 0.0000124 | 0.0000429 | 0.000 |
| Number of extra doses | −0.0325051 | −0.1821974 | 0.1171873 | 0.669 |
| Number of tablets per day | 0.0431283 | 0.0161861 | 0.0700705 | 0.002 |
| Receive treatment assistance | 0.0086193 | −0.438303 | 0.4555416 | 0.970 |
| Number of side effects | −0.0633561 | −0.1832409 | 0.565287 | 0.299 |
| Time with symptoms per day | 0.280983 | 0.1515231 | 0.4104429 | 0.000 |
| Definitely sure on WTP | −0.1869365 | −0.5176378 | 0.1437647 | 0.266 |
| Using entacapone | −0.0931787 | −0.4454576 | 0.2591003 | 0.603 |
Note:
Statistically significant.
Abbreviations: CI, confidence interval; CU, consumption unit; WTP, willingness to pay.
Regression of log WTP in situation 2 (new administration and less side effects), n=186
| Parameter | Coefficient | 95% CI | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Constant | 4.611491 | 3.205429 | 6.017554 | 0.000 |
| Age | −0.0809476 | −0.2893662 | 0.1274711 | 0.444 |
| Female | −0.2910966 | −0.6548995 | 0.0727064 | 0.116 |
| University education | 0.4970584 | 0.1233883 | 0.8707285 | 0.009 |
| Income per CU | 0.0000146 | −2.23×10−7 | 0.0000295 | 0.054 |
| Number of extra doses | −0.0304492 | −0.1897021 | 0.1288037 | 0.706 |
| Number of tablets per day | 0.0323439 | 0.0038041 | 0.0608836 | 0.027 |
| Receive treatment assistance | 0.1328528 | −0.3280093 | 0.5937149 | 0.570 |
| Number of side effects | −0.0488867 | −0.1721462 | 0.0743727 | 0.435 |
| Time with symptoms per day | 0.1986523 | 0.0631505 | 0.3341542 | 0.004 |
| Definitely sure on WTP | 0.1560748 | −0.1963221 | 0.5084717 | 0.383 |
| Using entacapone | −0.2733764 | −0.6397526 | 0.0929998 | 0.143 |
Note:
Statistically significant.
Abbreviations: CI, confidence interval; CU, consumption unit; WTP, willingness to pay.