The National Institutes of Health has said it will consider research proposals comparing the cost-effectiveness of biologic medications, cancer treatments and preventive measures for chronic illnesses such as diabetes.
Carolyn Clancy, spokesman of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, said “the overarching purpose of the program is to give clinicians and patients information they need to make decisions.” That could include, she said, information on effectiveness, safety and costs.
“We don’t want [the research] to be used to deny access to care,” said Lori Reilly, vice president for policy and research at the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America.
Teresa Lee, vice president of the Advanced Medical Technology Association, said using “this research to deny access to appropriate treatments for individual patients with individual medical histories and individual needs should not be the objective.”
Peter Orszag, director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, told lawmakers last month that the research won’t necessarily lead to coverage denials. “At the extreme, if something is shown not to be effective, it could simply not be covered,” he said. But he also suggested the government could pay “more for the things that work than the things that don’t.”