The cost-effectiveness of dulaglutide versus liraglutide for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus in Spain in patients with BMI ≥30 kg/m2

Objective: Dulaglutide 1.5?mg once weekly is a novel glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist, for the treatment of type two diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The objective was to estimate the cost-effectiveness of dulaglutide once weekly vs liraglutide 1.8?mg once daily for the treatment of T2DM in Spain in patients with a BMI ≥30?kg/m².

Methods: The IMS CORE Diabetes Model (CDM) was used to estimate costs and outcomes from the perspective of Spanish National Health System, capturing relevant direct medical costs over a lifetime time horizon. Comparative safety and efficacy data were derived from direct comparison of dulaglutide 1.5?mg vs liraglutide 1.8?mg from the AWARD-6 trial in patients with a body mass index (BMI) ≥30?kg/m². All patients were assumed to remain on treatment for 2 years before switching treatment to basal insulin at a daily dose of 40?IU. One-way sensitivity analyses (OWSA) and probabilistic sensitivity analyses (PSA) were conducted to explore the sensitivity of the model to plausible variations in key parameters and uncertainty of model inputs.

Results: Under base case assumptions, dulaglutide 1.5?mg was less costly and more effective vs liraglutide 1.8?mg (total lifetime costs €108,489 vs €109,653; total QALYS 10.281 vs 10.259). OWSA demonstrated that dulaglutide 1.5?mg remained dominant given plausible variations in key input parameters. Results of the PSA were consistent with base case results.

Limitations: Primary limitations of the analysis are common to other cost-effectiveness analyses of chronic diseases like T2DM and include the extrapolation of short-term clinical data to the lifetime time horizon and uncertainty around optimum treatment durations.

Conclusion: The model found that dulaglutide 1.5?mg was more effective and less costly than liraglutide 1.8?mg for the treatment of T2DM in Spain. Findings were robust to plausible variations in inputs. Based on these results, dulaglutide may result in cost savings to the Spanish National Health System.     

What we know about anticonsumption: An attempt to nail jelly to the wall

Despite burgeoning academic interest in anticonsumption, a lack of definitional clarity and overlapping constructs beleaguer the pertinent literature, preventing research in the field from reaching its full potential. This paper aims to strengthen the foundations for advancing knowledge in this fragmented field by (a) undertaking a thorough systematic review of literature; (b) charting the scope of anticonsumption literature based on network analysis and attempting to delineate overlapping areas; (c) providing an integrated framework of anticonsumption research, including antecedents, moderators, and consequences; and (d) suggesting a set of specific research propositions that will enable the field to move forward. Toward these aims, we analyzed 120 anticonsumption papers revealed in the literature review, identifying a number of important anticonsumption-related topics that warrant further investigation. Moreover, we suggest a research framework which reveals antecedents, causal sequences, and consequences of anticonsumption. Finally, a research agenda based on this integrated framework indicates promising areas for future research.     

Revisiting faultline conceptualization: measuring faultline strength and distance

The purpose of this research is to develop a conceptually and methodologically sound measure of group faultlines (demographic alignment of members along multiple attributes within a group). This measure takes into account the concept of faultline strength (the extent of a demographic alignment across members within a group) and, thus far neglected in past work, the concept of faultline distance. This faultline distance measure reflects how far apart the emerging subgroups are on demographic characteristics. This new, more elaborate conceptualization of faultlines is validated by presenting a number of hypothetical examples that demonstrate the distinct properties of faultline measures. We also validate our measures by empirically examining the relationships between faultline strength and distance, and active, or perceived, faultlines.     

Injury-related absenteeism and job satisfaction: insights from Greek and UK data

Most of the literature on absenteeism suggest that absence from work is a complex issue influenced by multiple causes, both of personal and of organizational nature. Job satisfaction has also been identified as one of the factors affecting an employee's motivation to work attendance. There is no universal agreement concerning the relationship between absenteeism and job satisfaction. Some research have found no correlation between these two variables, whereas other studies indicate a weak relationship between these two variables. It has also been suggested that absence and job satisfaction might be more strongly related under some conditions, for instance in the case of blue-collar workers. There is a lack of attention in the literature, however, to injury-related absenteeism, which is a particular type of absenteeism. This paper attempts to fill this gap and examines the effect of job satisfaction on injury-related absenteeism by using Greek and UK data. The empirical results suggest that there is a negative relationship between injury-related absenteeism and job satisfaction. The paper also discusses possible policy measures towards reducing injury-related absenteeism.     

Economic determinants of fertility in Belarus

This study examines the determinants of births in Belarus in 1996–2007 by using detailed micro‐data from the Belarusian Household Budget Surveys (BHBS). The existing literature offers several explanations of the recent trends in fertility in Belarus and in other former Soviet Union countries. It is often argued that the collapse of the Soviet Union and the concomitant economic instability reduced fertility in the 1990s, while economic growth and stabilization were responsible for its recovery since 2005. We evaluate these and other hypotheses by looking at the determinants of the first, second and third births, separately for women aged below 30 years of age and above 30 years of age. We provide evidence on the presence and the relative importance of the economic determinants, including income and wages, economic uncertainty, maternity and child‐care benefits. Our findings could inform demographic policies in Belarus and in other transitional countries.     

Person–place congruency in the Internet Banking context

This study proposes and empirically validates a model that incorporates the interaction effects of consumer's shopping orientation (utilitarian/recreational) and attitudes towards the online store atmospheric qualities (information related cues, navigation cues, aesthetic cues) on online shopping behavior. The use of an underutilized technique for detecting interaction effects unveils the superiority of interaction effects over direct effects in explaining online shopping behavior. Results reveal significant interaction effects during the information search stage but not during the purchase stage. Furthermore, the interaction effects were significant only for utilitarian shoppers but not for the recreational ones. The results signify the distinctive nature of online shopping compared to the offline one, and the need for retailers to distinguish online and offline store atmosphere management.     

Customers' perceived value for private and state-controlled Hellenic banks

Under conditions of increasing competition banks try to improve their customers' level of satisfaction in order to create strong preferences and hence increase their customers' loyalty. This paper is based on data drawn from 1,470 questionnaires completed by customers of both private and state-controlled banks in various areas of Attica. It looks at the bank customers' satisfaction but focuses mainly on their perceived value from the banking services received. A first analysis of the data collected shows that state-controlled bank customers are older, with lower education and lower income. Additionally, state-controlled banks show lower proportions of very pleased customers and high proportions of displeased customers. A principal component analysis performed on the data related to perceived value has defined three main factors: professional service, marketing efficiency and effective communication, which have then been used as the basis for comparing the customers' perceived value between the two types of bank. The main findings of this analysis show that state-controlled bank customers enjoy a higher perceived value in the case of marketing efficiency (mainly due to the wider network and the favourable pricing policy) whereas private bank customers enjoy a higher perceived value in the case of professional service and effective communication.     

A comparison of first price multi-object auctions

We compare simultaneous multi-object English-type ascending price auctions with first price sealed bid auctions in private values environments with multi-object demands. Special attention is paid to the effect of closing rules on ascending auctions’ outcomes. We find that simultaneous ascending auctions with the soft closing rule are the most efficient, while the sealed bid auctions generate the highest revenue. Ascending auctions with the hard closing rule display a significant amount of late bidding, resulting in the lowest among the three institutions revenue and efficiency.

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