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Dr. Michaela Barbier

Department of Public Health
Profiles & Affiliations

HEOR, health economic modelling, complex statistical methods applied to health economic analyses, real-world database analyses, health technology assessments, integrated care, palliative care

Track record in planning and analyses of clinical studies (from pharmaceutical industry).

Vast experience across various disease areas: Oncology, Respiratory, Cardiovascular & Metabolism, Ophthalmology.

Selected Publications

Barbier, Michaela Carla, Galactionova, Katya, Lambiris, Mark, Oliveira, Leonel, Rüter, Florian, Glinz, Dominik, Thürmer, Jessica, Pletscher, Flurina, Kasenda, Benjamin, Finazzi, Tobias, König, David, Lardinois, Didier, Conrad, Larissa, Mutz, Leonie, & Schwenkglenks, Matthias. (2025). Contributing to a value-based health care framework for lung cancer patients in Switzerland – A methodological approach to merge routinely collected hospital data [Journal-article]. PLOS ONE, 20(7). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0327814

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Barbier, Michaela Carla, Fengler , Alicia, Pardo ,Esther, Bhadhuri , Arjun, Meier, Niklaus, & Gautschi, Oliver. (2023). Cost Effectiveness and Budget Impact of Nivolumab Plus Ipilimumab Versus Platinum Plus Pemetrexed (with and Without Bevacizumab) in Patients with Unresectable Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma in Switzerland. PharmacoEconomics, 41(12), 1641–1655. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40273-023-01305-3

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Barbier, Michaela, Durno, Nicholas, Bennison, Craig, Örtli, Mathias, Knapp, Christian, & Schwenkglenks, Matthias. (2022). Cost-effectiveness and budget impact of venetoclax in combination with rituximab in relapsed/refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia in Switzerland. The European Journal of Health Economics : HEPAC : Health Economics in Prevention and Care, 23, 837–846. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10198-021-01398-7

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Barbier, Michaela Carla, Pardo, Esther, Panje, Cédric Michael, Gautschi, Oliver, Lupatsch, Judith Eva, & Swiss Group for Clinical Cancer Research (SAKK). (2021). A cost-effectiveness analysis of pembrolizumab with or without chemotherapy for the treatment of patients with metastatic, non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer and high PD-L1 expression in Switzerland. European Journal of Health Economics, 22(5), 669–677. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10198-021-01282-4

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Selected Projects & Collaborations

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Enhancing palliative care in intensive care units (EPIC) - Horizon Europe

Umbrella Project  | 2 Project Members

Palliative care (PC) in ICU


About 10% of all decedents in the population die after admission to an intensive care unit (ICU). These patients often have distressing symptoms and may receive more intense life-prolonging treatment than they would have chosen, their family members often experience lasting distress from the experience and many ICU physicians and nurses are burdened by their perception of potentially non-beneficial care.


The EPIC project aims to sustainably improve palliative care for critically ill patients and their families in the ICU. An interdisciplinary consortium collaborates to provide a novel harmonized palliative care practice model using telemedicine. The project is the first European interventional study on palliative care in the ICU, using a systems-based approach with proactive patient identification, checklist and blended learning targeted to specific requirements of ICU clinicians. Effectiveness of the new model is assessed through a stepped wedge randomized trial with 7 clinical centers from 5 European countries, 23 multi-disciplinary ICUs and enrolment of 2001 patients. Primary outcome is a reduction in ICU stay to relieve suffering. Cost implications and cost effectiveness will be assessed from different perspectives. An evidence-based patient decision aid for critically ill patients is developed. Additional outcomes serve deepen our understanding of barriers and facilitators and provide ethical recommendations for the use of telepalliative care in civic society.


The vision of EPIC is to contribute to a mind shift from a narrow focus on prolonging life towards more holistic care. A European patient and family advisory group is implemented to engage patients and family members from the start and co-create open-access information to increase acceptance of palliative care. Telemedicine offers a low-cost solution to spread the model to all regions in Europe and open new avenues for patient-centered care.

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Health economic analysis alongside DROPIT trial

Research Project  | 2 Project Members

Worldwide, proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are frequently prescribed, and their use is continuingly increasing. PPI use is often inappropriate, they are prescribed for excessive durations or inadequate indications which contribute to adverse health outcomes. Reducing inappropriate PPIs could improve health and reduce human and financial costs. Limited studies have evaluated patient-focused deprescribing interventions to reduce inappropriate PPIs in the primary care setting. The involvement of general practitioners (GPs) and patients in deprescribing (to stop or reduce PPIs) is a necessity. Aims of the DROPIT trial: a) To investigate the effectiveness of an intervention for patients and GPs to deprescribe inappropriate PPIs in adults i) On the co-primary outcomes: - change from baseline in the dose of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) at the 12-month follow-up - change from baseline in the Reflux Disease Questionnaire (RDQ) at the 12-month follow-up ii) Secondary outcomes: individual components of the co-primary outcomes, atypical gastrointestinal symptoms, diagnoses and conditions linked to PPI use, number and type of concurrent medications, medication adherence, prescribing of PPIs and alternative anti-reflux treatments, healthcare utilization, health-related quality of life, and side effects related to PPI deprescribing b) To evaluate the implementation of the intervention as well as GPs' and patients' intervention fidelity in a mixed-methods process evaluation c) To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of the trial intervention through health economic analyses. This part is in the responsibility of Uni basel, Research Group M. Schwenkglenks