FDA has an impossible task, given the breadth of its scope and its limited resources. And given the accelerating emergence of promising new diagnostic and therapeutic capabilities, the challenge isn’t shrinking. For example, the stimulus legislation provides NIH with $10 billion for new research to be spent over the next two years – presumably because […]
‘Cost-Effectiveness Analysis’ and U.S. Health Care
Comparative effectiveness on the face of it is both needed and valuable. Why waste breath (or bandwidth) discussing whether we should know which diagnostic tool or therapy will work best for us? But performing CE is easier said than done and it’s not going to be a panacea. For example, medical devices evolve at a […]
Agencies Should Fund Research Quickly
The National Advisory Council for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) held a public meeting on April 3, and with 150 people in attendance there was no shortage of opinion about how government agencies should execute comparative effectiveness research. Some $1.1 billion of the approved economic stimulus plan is earmarked for conducting or supporting research that […]