Cedar Associates LLC conducts systematic reviews of medical literature according to the standards expected from major stakeholders (e.g., see guidelines published for AHRQ’s Evidence-Based Practice Centers). Our staff retrieves pertinent publications (using PubMed, Embass, SciSearch) and abstracts from international congresses. We also rely on clinical and economic experts to fill in potential gaps associated with using electronic databases. Publications are then reviewed for relevance to the project, and information is coded and abstracted into our proprietary software. All studies are graded for the quality of the evidence according to accepted quidelines. We generate evidence reports that have been submitted use in AMCP dossiers and NICE submissions, and for reports to regulatory agencies, clinical investigators, and senior managers.

Recent Projects

Efficacy and safety of treatments for eye diseases

We abstracted more than 300 studies of treatments for diabetic macular edema, retinal vein occlusion, and age-related macular edema.  Reports were generated on the incidence of adverse effects associated with existing treatments for these conditions and effect on visual acuity by ETDRS criteria of treatments. This evidence is being used in reports to FDA.

Efficacy and safety of chemotherapy regimens for colorectal cancer

We abstracted all studies reporting findings from randomized controlled studies of chemotherapy for colorectal cancer. This evidence has been used to provide a comprehensive of the current state of the evidence in this area and to instantiate parameters in cost-effectiveness studies.

Summary of Cost-effectiveness Studies in HIV/AIDS

More than 100 studies have been published on the cost-effectiveness of various interventions to prevent and manage HIV/AIDS. We systematically retrieved and summarized these studies, the results of which are to be published soon in Medical Decision Making.