Lou Garrison

Professor Lou Garrison

Pharmaceutical Outcomes Research & Policy Program, Department of Pharmacy, University of Washington. Currently Visiting Senior Research Fellow 2012-3, Office of Health Economics, London, UK

Extending the QALY framework for HTA: Exploring the linkages among benefit-risk assessments, stratified medicines, and comparative effectiveness research

Abstract - Theoretical and practical challenges and objections to the use of the QALY for pharmacoeconomic evaluations are well known and longstanding, but the recent ECHOUTCOME critique of the QALY has received international visibility and may revive the debate. Still, the economic evaluation framework based on cost-utility analysis—estimating QALY impacts and cost-offsets in comparison to drug price—remains the scientific gold standard for the evaluation of new, patented medicines. This talk aims to support the fundamental soundness of this approach by discussing its usefulness in range of related HTA applications: benefit-risk assessment, stratified medicines, and comparative effectiveness research. It is argued that adjustments are needed in some applications, such as considering the value-of-knowing in stratified medicine, or considering population-level health impact in benefit-risk assessment. But QALY-based modeling remains the best tool we have to support decision-making about benefit, risk, and cost trade-offs for many important public health policy issues.

The seminar is at HERG, Gaskell Building, room 051.

Details on how to find HERG can be viewed at http://www.brunel.ac.uk/herg/about-herg/contact-us

To give us an indication of numbers, please reply to Eszter Nagy (eszter.nagy@brunel.ac.uk) or Jeshika Singh (Jeshika.Singh@brunel.ac.uk) if you wish to attend.

 NB: if you are driving please note you are required to collect a temporary permit from main reception (Eastern Gateway Building). Further information can be found at http://www.brunel.ac.uk/about/pubfac/car-parking