US politicians want federal funding to discover cost effectiveness of new drugs
BMJ 2003; 327 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.327.7416.642 (Published 18 September 2003) Cite this as: BMJ 2003;327:642- Ray Moynihan
- Washington, DC
A bill before the US Congress calls on health authorities to investigate whether expensive new drugs offer value for money, by comparing their risks and benefits with other treatments and older drugs.
Currently new drugs are approved on the basis of their superiority over a placebo, with no requirement to show an advantage over existing treatments or cheaper generic pills.
If passed, the new legislation would see US taxpayers spending $75m (£47m; €67m) in 2004 to fund studies of the cost effectiveness of the nation's most expensive classes of drugs–something done routinely in other countries but a move that is bitterly opposed by the drug industry in the United States.
Annual spending on prescription drugs is rising by almost 20% a year in the United States, where it is now in excess of $150bn. The cost of drugs is one of the fastest growing components of overall healthcare costs, which are also rapidly rising and becoming …
Log in
Log in using your username and password
Log in through your institution
Subscribe from £173 *
Subscribe and get access to all BMJ articles, and much more.
* For online subscription
Access this article for 1 day for:
£38 / $45 / €42 (excludes VAT)
You can download a PDF version for your personal record.