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[An economic perspective on targeted treatments]
1Inserm UMR912, Sciences économiques et sociales de la santé et traitement de l'information médicale (SESSTIM), 13006, Marseille, France - Université Aix Marseille, UMRS912, IRD (Institut de recherche pour le développement), 13006, Marseille, France.
Abstract:
In the current context of crisis in the field of drug research and patients' increasing demand for greater involvement in the decision-making about their treatment, the possibility of a more personal tailored approach to medicine is emerging. This raises questions about the clinical benefits of targeted therapeutic approaches versus the cost of determining which patients are likely to benefit the most, and protecting the others from the toxicity of inappropriate treatments. Although cost-effectiveness studies shed light on this issue, the conclusions to which they point tend to be obscured by interdependence between the pricing of these tests and the cost of the treatments involved. Investigating the societal willingness-to-pay for gains in QALY (quality adjusted life year) should help to disentangle this interdependence and clarify the conclusions of cost-effectiveness studies.
Insights
Personalized medicine offers tailored treatments but raises cost concerns. Societal willingness-to-pay for quality-adjusted life years (QALY) can clarify cost-effectiveness, guiding treatment decisions.
Area of Science:
- Pharmacoeconomics
- Health Technology Assessment
- Personalized Medicine
Context:
- Drug research faces a crisis, with patients demanding more treatment involvement.
- Emerging personalized medicine necessitates evaluating clinical benefits against costs.
- Targeted therapies require identifying suitable patients and avoiding toxicity in others.
Purpose:
- To investigate societal willingness-to-pay for quality-adjusted life years (QALY).
- To clarify cost-effectiveness studies of personalized medicine.
- To disentangle the interdependence between diagnostic test pricing and treatment costs.
Summary:
- Personalized medicine offers tailored treatments, but determining cost-effectiveness is complex.
- The pricing of diagnostic tests and treatments are interdependent, obscuring cost-effectiveness conclusions.
- Societal willingness-to-pay for QALY gains can resolve these economic complexities.
Impact:
- Provides a framework for clearer cost-effectiveness analyses in personalized medicine.
- Supports informed decision-making regarding resource allocation for targeted therapies.
- Helps reconcile the economic challenges of implementing precision medicine in healthcare.