Third-party payers typically base their reimbursement decisions for a new drug predominantly on its health benefits relative to existing treatment options — termed relative efficacy (RE). Over the past decade, the role of payers has become more prominent, and drug developers increasingly need to satisfy the sometimes divergent needs of both regulators and payers to achieve market success. This article describes the political background to the RE debate and the challenges of RE assessment, and discusses the impact of RE on drug development.
- Hans-Georg Eichler
- Brigitte Bloechl-Daum
- Steven Pearson
