The increasing role of health economic evaluations in drug development

• Published in: Drug development research 2010-12, Vol.71 (8), p.457-462
• Main Authors: Annemans, Lieven, Cleemput, Irina, Simoens, Steven, Arickx, Francis, Hulstaert, Frank, Bogaert, Marc
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: budget impact analysis; cost effectiveness; health technology assessment; relative effectiveness
• ISSN: 0272-4391; 1098-2299
• DOI: 10.1002/ddr.20420

The goal of health care policies is to maximize the health of the population within the limits of the available budget and taking into account equity considerations. For innovative drugs, this means that an increasing number are being assessed in terms of their value for money, which is the amount of additional health that can be achieved per additional euro, pound, dollar, or other currency invested. Ideally such assessments and resulting appraisals and decisions should be made in a transparent and efficient way. Transparent means consisting of clear procedures and criteria such as relative effectiveness, cost effectiveness, budget impact, social, and ethical consequences. Transparent also means that stakeholders (physicians, patients, industry, and others) are involved in the assessment and decision‐making process. Efficient means that, on a European level, duplication of efforts is avoided by aligning the processes for market authorization and those for the assessment of value for money. Drug Dev Res 71: 457–462, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.