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Economic Evaluation of Interventions for Children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders: Practical Guidance

Jennifer D Zwicker1, Ramesh Lamsal2, Myla E Moretti3,4

  • 1School of Public Policy, University of Calgary, 906 8th Ave S.W., 5th Floor, Calgary, AB, T2P 1H9, Canada. zwicker1@ucalgary.ca.

Pharmacoeconomics
|July 14, 2026
PubMed

Insights

This paper provides guidance for economic evaluations of neurodevelopmental disorder interventions. Tailored pharmacoeconomic methods are essential for equitable resource allocation for affected children and families.

Area of Science:

  • Pharmacoeconomics
  • Neurodevelopmental Disorders
  • Health Economics

Background:

  • Neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) are lifelong conditions impacting cognitive, social, behavioral, and physical functioning from early childhood.
  • The consequences of NDDs extend beyond healthcare, affecting education, social services, and family life.
  • Standard economic evaluation methods need adaptation for NDD interventions to capture multi-sectoral impacts.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To provide practical guidance for pharmacoeconomic evaluations of interventions for children with NDDs.
  • To address challenges in defining analytic perspectives, identifying costs, selecting outcomes, incorporating spillover effects, and modeling long-term trajectories.
  • To recommend tailored methods for credible, policy-relevant evaluations.

Main Methods:

  • Synthesizing methodological literature and applied experience in pharmacoeconomics for NDDs.
  • Addressing five key issues: analytic perspective, cost identification/valuation, outcome selection, spillover effects, and long-term modeling.
  • Recommending specific approaches: societal perspective, comprehensive costing, combined outcome measures, inclusion of family impacts, equity analyses, and robust long-term modeling.

Main Results:

  • Adoption of a societal perspective is recommended to capture multi-sectoral costs and benefits.
  • Comprehensive, context-appropriate costing and a combination of generic and condition-specific outcome measures are advised.
  • Explicit inclusion of caregiver/family impacts, equity analyses, and long time horizons using advanced modeling techniques are highlighted.

Conclusions:

  • Tailored pharmacoeconomic methods are crucial for credible and policy-relevant evaluations of NDD interventions.
  • Transparent reporting and alignment with international standards will enhance comparability and decision-maker uptake.
  • Improved evaluations promote equitable resource allocation for children and families affected by NDDs.

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