International Health Economics Guidelines

There are many compelling arguments for the development of internationalguidelines for health economics, according to Michael Drummond, professor of economics at the University of York's Centre for Health Economics in the UK.

For example, he told the PharmEcon Europe 97 meeting in Paris, France, last month (Marketletter June 23), such guidelines would enable best practice from around the world to be consolidated. They would also provide the pharmaceutical industry with a single standard to aim for, and increase the comparability and "generalizability" of studies. Moreover, he added, they could possibly lead to a reduction in the cost of pharmacoeconomics research programs.

Such guidelines could also lead to a more straightforward definition of individual drug companies' pharmacoeconomics research needs, he suggested. Other potential benefits might include an increase in compliance with good methodology, easier interpretation of study results by decision-makers, and even the transition to a centralized procedure for pricing and reimbursement within the European Union.