Author Description

Therefore, the Institute of Health Economics has established a Forum series on Prioritizing Methodological Research in the Evaluation of Health Technologies, in consultation and partnership with the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health (CADTH), the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), Alberta Health and Wellness and several industry partners (Pfizer, Merck, [...] The objective of the Forum series is to identify and address major methodological challenges in informing policies and decisions around the funding and use of health technologies, in partnership with the stakeholders that are involved in the production of evidence and use of assessment. [...] In the United States, the Effective Health Care Program has been created and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) authorized to conduct and support research with a focus on comparing the outcomes and effectiveness of different treatments and clinical approaches, as well as communicate its findings widely to a variety of audiences including clinicians, consumers, and policymakers. [...] More detailed analysis suggests that, although there are many sources of potential bias, the major sources appear to be in the methods for extrapolating clinical benefits in the long term, the incorporation of economic and clinical data in decision-analytic models, and in the application of study findings to different patient sub-groups. [...] Although the methods of systematic review are well-developed, more investigation is required of the applicability of findings to different patient sub-groups, and their extrapolation to patient groups that were not enrolled in the clinical trials forming the basis of the systematic review.