New treatments and technologies

Posted on 11 October 2010

Public policy debates revolve around how limited resources can be mobilised to achieve the best outcomes, delivering effective and equitable services.

Research in health economics helps policymakers consider value for money

Bridging the gap between the latest research in these areas and policy is a major theme of health and social policy work at York.

Work in the Centre for Health Economics (CHE), for example, has revolutionised the way policymakers consider the value for money of taking a particular decision in the way healthcare is provided.

Work with the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has helped patients benefit from new treatments and technologies faster, whilst also helping the NHS to avoid spending money on interventions that are not worthwhile. CHE research into chemotherapies used to treat advanced prostate cancer produced savings of over £1 million a year with no reduction in health benefits. The Centre’s work also led to the use of the antiplatelet drug Clopidogrel in patients with particular heart conditions, reducing their risk of suffering a major heart attack.

Professor Maria Goddard, CHE’s Director, said, “Substantial sums of money are directed towards the NHS and it is important to measure whether those resources are translated into benefits for patients and taxpayers.”


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