Simulation used in conjunction with randomised control trials to evaluate the costs and benefits of a new drug

A discrete-event simulation approach called POST (patient-oriented simulation technique) was used to evaluate the long-term cost implications of prescribing a drug (mycophenolate mofetil) which has been shown to reduce the rejection rates of transplanted kidney during the first year after a transplant operation. The results indicated that the extra cost incurred in using the drug during the first few years after transplantation would be partially repaid by a reduction in the number of patients returning to dialysis.

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