Methodological variation in economic evaluations conducted in low- and middle-income countries: information for...

Area of Science:

• Health economics
• Resource allocation
• Global health

Background:

• Economic evaluations are vital for health resource allocation globally, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
• Policy-makers require comparable, detailed, and contextually relevant economic evaluations for effective decision-making.
• Funding agencies need to ensure the quality and comparability of funded studies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess BMGF-funded cost-per-DALY economic evaluations for methodological variation, evidence use, and reporting quality.
• To inform a methodological standardization workstream at the BMGF.
• To provide insights for institutions funding economic evaluations in LMICs.

Main Methods:

• Review of BMGF-funded cost-per-DALY economic evaluations.
• Assessment across four program areas: malaria, tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, and vaccines.
• Analysis focused on variations in methodology, evidence utilization, and reporting standards.

Main Results:

• Significant room for improvement identified in methodological consistency, evidence application, and reporting quality.
• Variations observed across malaria, tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, and vaccine economic evaluations.
• Findings highlight the need for enhanced standardization in economic evaluations.

Conclusions:

• The BMGF should consider introducing a standardized methodology or reference case.
• Standardization can improve the comparability and utility of economic evaluations for resource allocation.
• Institutions funding economic evaluations in LMICs can benefit from these findings to enhance decision-making.