BMJ  2007;335:358-359 (25 August), doi:10.1136/bmj.39308.560069.BE

Editorials

NICE's cost effectiveness threshold

How high should it be?

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

The recent judicial review instigated by the drug companies Pfizer and Eisai concerning National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidance,¹ which would deny access to three drugs for patients with mild Alzheimer's disease, and a second ongoing inquiry into NICE by the House of Commons Health Select Committee,² are the latest examples highlighting the importance of NICE and the challenges it faces. The judicial review, which ruled predominantly in favour of NICE, concerned the procedures NICE used to arrive at their judgment, not the outcome specifically. However, NICE has to make a judgment that is more fundamental than the matters at stake in the judicial review—at what point should an intervention be deemed cost effective enough to warrant public subsidy via the National Health Service (NHS)?

An advantage of the way in which the United Kingdom funds the NHS is that its patients do not have to judge . . . [Full text of this article]

¹ King's Fund, London W1G 0AN, ² City Health Economics Centre, Department of Economics, City University, London EC1V 0HB

CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?

Relevant Articles

QALYs in the community

Andrew N Bamji
BMJ 2007 335: 527-528. [Extract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Nice feedback

Fiona Godlee
BMJ 2007 335: 0. [Extract] [Full Text]

The Alzheimer's Society, drug manufacturers, and public trust

Iain Chalmers
BMJ 2007 335: 400. [Extract] [Full Text] [PDF]

National Institute for Clinical Excellence and its value judgments

Michael D Rawlins and Anthony J Culyer
BMJ 2004 329: 224-227. [Extract] [Full Text] [PDF]

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Minhas, R., Patel, K. C. (2008). From rationing to rational: the evolving status of NICE. JRSM 101: 436-442 [Full text]  
• Soares, M., Dumville, J. C (2008). Economic evaluation of healthcare technologies using primary research. Evid. Based Nurs. 11: 67-71 [Full text]  
• Bamji, A. N (2007). QALYs in the community. BMJ 335: 527-528 [Full text]  

Rapid Responses:

Read all Rapid Responses

Exports from Britain

Andrea Messori
bmj.com, 26 Aug 2007 [Full text]

NICE's cost-effectiveness threshold

Philip D Home
bmj.com, 28 Aug 2007 [Full text]

NICE could drive down drug costs

Timothy D Heymann
bmj.com, 28 Aug 2007 [Full text]

QUALYs and thresholds

Andrew N Bamji
bmj.com, 28 Aug 2007 [Full text]

The threshold is not the only issue

Daphne I Austin
bmj.com, 28 Aug 2007 [Full text]

More "uncomfortable truths"

David Kernick
bmj.com, 31 Aug 2007 [Full text]

NICE's cost effectiveness threshold may not be too generous

Richard W Barker
bmj.com, 11 Sep 2007 [Full text]