Balancing Benefit vs. Cost of Latest Drugs

[shoshin]

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/03/health/03nice.html

This is a New York Times article on how the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), a British governmental agency, attempts to quantify the costs and benefits of medication in order to attempt to rationally ration their use.

Regardless of how you feel about the way the British have gone about this, the fundamental problem that we can never afford to do all that might be possible remains. In light of the fact that health care reform is hopefully coming to the U.S., I think it's a useful article to read.

In fact NICE has published guidelines about MS disease-modifying drugs, which I have seen before, but their site (www.nice.org.uk) seems to be malfunctioning at the moment. Their is some info about their guidelines at the U.K. MS Society site at http://www.mssociety.org.uk/get_involved/campaigning/key_campaigns/guidelines.html. I had the impression that NICE tended to think that the cost of the MS DMDs was quite high compared to their perceived level of benefits.

sho

[patientx]

I have read that the British NHS does not believe the MS DMDs are worth prescribing, given their effectiveness vs. cost.  And in England, a person must have two documented episodes (definite MS) before the NHS will pay for one of the DMDs.  So, the idea of treating at the first sign of a CIS goes out the window.

It's a tough issue.  I'm not expert, but I suspect the reason healthcare premiums in the U.S. are so high is due partly to the new treatments and drugs available.  I would like healthcare to be affordable to everyone, but I also like having a treatment for M.S.  Not an easy issue to resolve.

[Lulu54]

Sho,
Thanks for finding this and posting the link.  It took my cog fogged brain quite a while to read this and absorb what it means in relation to us here in the US.  

From a pure economic view the NICE model sure does sound good - only pay for those drugs that will give you the best rate of return.  Pressure the drug companies to stand behind their product and control the cost.  

But I'm not particularly intereted in the money angle - I'm a patient and I'm interested in having available to me any and all drugs that have even the slightest chance of improving the quality of my life.

The reforms we face with health care are certainly going to be painful for everyone.  

I hope all of you will read this article.  Thanks again sho.

What price?
Lulu