PHARMA ECONOMICS' "SEVEN DEADLY SINS"

Concerns about economic evaluation of new drug products have been likened to the seven deadly sins by Michael Drummond of the Centre for Health Economics at the University of York, UK.

Speaking at a recent meeting of the National Association of Health Authorit-ies and Trusts, reported in the Pharmaceutical Journal, Prof Drummond noted that these concerns, or "sins," are that:

- most new drug products present an add-on to costs: yes, said Prof Drummond, but health care is about improving quality of life, not cutting costs. If budgets are limited, cuts should be made elsewhere in order to permit the use of new cost-effective therapies;