When Lorenzo Pradelli was first asked to serve as editor for a manual on pharmacoeconomics and outcomes research, his first thoughts were, ?Another one? Are there not enough around?? Then he noticed that most of the literature is either academic in style (and weight!), or a textbook for students, while not much is available for people who have to deal with economic evaluations in health care, but do not engage themselves in performing such studies. Pharmacoeconomics is a quick reference and as an aid to understand papers dealing with pharmacoeconomics and outcomes research. The first section includes basic definitions commonly used in the industry, and is followed by a more in-depth exposition of the main methods and techniques, using descriptions of actual studies in the published literature. The result is a practical tool that can guide stakeholders involved in the decision-making process in health care to a robust insight of the theoretical and methodological aspects of modern pharmacoeconomics.