The Effectiveness of Comparing Effectiveness

Pharmalot's Ed Silverman discusses the results of the National Pharmaceutical Council's recent survey on comparative effectiveness research and why, according to the data, the concept doesn't appear to be a "potent" one. In surveying 111 individuals at federal agencies, in consumer and trade groups, and in academia, among other places, the NPC — a pharma-supported policy research organization — found that nearly 60 percent considered themselves "very familiar" with comparative effectiveness research, though only 30 percent indicated they felt that it would "lead to moderate improvements in health care decision-making in the next year," Silverman says. In addition, he says, the NPC found that among its 111 participants, 85 percent indicated they felt that comparative effectiveness research "led to little or no improvement for health care decision-making in the past year," 11 percent said it had "led to moderate improvements," and 30 percent indicated they thought it "would lead to moderate improvements in health care decision-making in the next year."