21.06.13
Value-based pricing to be undertaken by NICE
NICE’s role in assessing the value of new drugs is to be broadened as part of value-based pricing, health minister Lord Howe has announced.
From January 2014, new medicines will be assessed by looking at the benefits drugs bring to patients and wider society. This could include how serious a condition is, and whether new drugs could mean patients need less support from carers.
NICE will take full account of the benefits of drugs that could cut the overall cost of care in the long-term.
Lord Howe said: “We want to make sure we get the best possible outcomes for all NHS patients with the resources we have.
“We cannot simply spend more and more on drugs – this would mean spending less and less elsewhere. That’s why we have asked NICE to look at the impact that drugs can have on people’s ability to work or contribute to the economy and society. A drug that brings a lot of extra benefits may justify the NHS paying more, but equally the NHS might pay less for a drug that does not deliver wider benefits.
“NICE is a world leader in the assessment of medicines and other treatments and will now work with patient groups, the NHS and the drugs industry to take this important work forward.”
The chief executive of the NICE, Sir Andrew Dillon, said: “We welcome these new terms of reference from the Department of Health and look forward to engaging with our partners on how best to apply them in our evaluation of new drugs and other treatments.”
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