Independent study into NICE’s methods
pharmafile | January 29, 2009 | News story | Sales and Marketing | NICE, hc
NICE has asked an eminent academic and NHS reformer to conduct an independent study of its approach to appraising new medicines.
Professor Sir Ian Kennedy, emeritus professor of health law, ethics and policy at University College London, will publish his report in time for the July NICE board meeting.
His study will use a series of workshops involving healthcare industries, patients and the wider public, together with NHS representatives, to explore the issue of value.
NICE's chairman, Professor Sir Michael Rawlins, announced the study and indicated it was part of the body's constant evolution in its effort to deliver value to the NHS.
Rawlins said the study would examine "whether particular forms of value are more important than others, and will explore factors that should be taken into account in establishing the value of new health technologies".
He added: "Since NICE was established we have regularly consulted on our approach to valuing innovation and the question of how to establish value has always been part of the public debate around NICE decisions."
Detail on exactly how the study will be carried out is not yet available, but NICE says its focus will remain on value to patients.
Rawlins said: "Understanding the value to patients of new health technologies is central to the work that NICE does in advising health professionals, patients and the wider public on the best approach to improving the quality and consistency of care provided by the NHS."
He also stressed it would see NICE working closely with the industry to find a shared understanding of how best to value medicines.
Professor Kennedy is best known for chairing the Bristol inquiry into medical malpractice, which issued a damning report in 2001, and he was subsequently appointed chair of NHS watchdog the Healthcare Commission.
Related Content
Combination treatments: Takeda’s Implementation Framework and the broader landscape
Pharmafile talks to Emma Roffe, Oncology Country Head (UK & Ireland) about the combination treatment …
NICE recommends Pfizer’s new once-weekly treatment for haemophilia B on NHS
Walton Oaks, 21st May 2025 – Pfizer Ltd announced today that the National Institute for Health and Care …
Dual immunotherapy for bowel cancer now available under NHS
Dual immunotherapy, a combination of Opdivo (nivolumab) and Yervoy (ipilimumab), has been granted extension in …
