Competitive tenders on analogue hospital pharmaceuticals in Denmark 2017-2020

BACKGROUND: Competitive tenders on pharmaceuticals are one of the most effective cost-containment instruments in healthcare systems. Its effectiveness has been demonstrated, among other things, in markets for generic medicine and biosimilars. In Denmark, an internationally unique model for competitive tenders on analogue substitutable pharmaceuticals has been developed and implemented for all public hospitals. METHODS: We obtained data on all analogue competitive tenders carried out by the Danish Medicines Council from its foundation on January 1, 2017, to October 9, 2020. We calculated univariate descriptive statistics, pairwise correlations and made a multiple regression analysis on tender savings. RESULTS: Average annual saving on hospital pharmaceutical purchase prices was 44.1% ranging from 0.4% to 92.8% between therapeutic areas and areas of indication. There was a significant positive correlation between tender savings and the number of competitors participating in the tender, and a significant negative correlation between tender savings and the number of days since market authorization. CONCLUSIONS: This study finds analogue tenders to be similar in effect and mechanism to competitive tenders in markets for generic medicine and biosimilars. It supports the increasing number of empirical findings that competitive tendering has a high potential to generate substantial savings on healthcare budgets

Effects of Grazing Pressure on Defoliation Patterns of Tallgrass Prairie

Few studies have dealt with measuring individual plant defoliations in the context of intensive grazing management. In May, July, and August of 1987, grazing trials were conducted to quantify the effects of cattle grazing pressure on defoliation patterns of little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium (Michx.) Nash), big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii Vitman), and indiangrass (Sorghastrum nutans (L.) Nash). Grazing pressures of 10, 20, 30, and 40 kg Auo-1 were replicated twice per trial. Treatment pastures contained 30 marked tillers of each species. Standing crop was measured before and after grazing. Tiller height, relative leaf area removed, and frequency of defoliation were measured every 2 days over 10 day trials. The frequency and intensity of tiller defoliation was highly dependent on species and grazing pressure. Tiller height decreased more rapidly as grazing pressure increased, and leaf area removed increased as grazing pressure increased. Height and 1 eaf area removed were similar for grazing pressures of 30 and 40 kg Auo-1. Indiangrass was the most preferred species in all trials. Tillers were spread among at least three defoliation frequency classes for all species and grazing pressures. Trial 1 had the greatest proportion of undefoliated tillers regardless of species. Under most grazing pressures, indiangrass and big bluestem had more tillers defoliated 3 times in a trial. Tillers were moderately defoliated the first time and severely defoliated afterwards. Defoliating all tillers once in a rangeland community is virtually impossible to achieve without severe defoliation on some species. Planning livestock movements based on a target defoliation intensity and regulating grazing pressure to reduce the risk of severe defoliation can be useful strategies for intensive grazing management.Agronom

Successful radioimmunotherapy of established syngeneic rat colon carcinoma with 211At-mAb.

Most carcinomas are prone to metastasize despite successful treatment of the primary tumor. One way to address this clinical challenge may be targeted therapy with α-emitting radionuclides such as astatine-211 (211At). Radioimmunotherapy utilizing α-particle emitting radionuclides is considered especially suitable for the treatment of small cell clusters and single cells, although lesions of different sizes may also be present in the patient. The aim of this study was primarily to evaluate the toxicity and secondarily in vivo efficacy of a 211At-labeled monoclonal antibody (mAb) directed against colon carcinoma with tumor diameters of approximately 10 mm

Impact of deposition conditions on nanostructured anisotropic silica thin films in multilayer interference coatings

Recent developments of nanostructured coatings have reached a point where extensive investigations within multi-layer systems are necessary for further implementation in novel photonic systems. Although sculptured thin films are explored for decades, no optical and structural measurements have been performed for anisotropic nanostructured multi-layer coatings with different deposition conditions of the dense layer. In this paper, we present extensive morphological analysis on silica nanostructured anisotropic films. Changing the deposition angle from 66° to 84°, indicate the changes in surface filling from 84% to 57%, respectively, while phase retardance has a maximal value of 0.032°/nm at 70° and 72° angles. We also present the investigation of covering such structures with the dense layer at different conditions. As a result, the technology for maintaining initial anisotropic properties is developed for extending spectral difference 1.6 times and phase retardation by 5% in anisotropic multi-layer coatings. Furthermore, we present simulations of growing silica layer using experimental conditions in the Virtual Coater framework resulting in virtual anisotropic films for comparison with measurements. The minimal impact on the anisotropy of porous layer is reached with the deposition of dense layer at 30° angle during constant substrate rotation. © 202