WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Institute of Medicine has taken its first crack at setting national priorities for comparative effectiveness research — comparing two or more treatments for an illness or disease with the aim of identifying the most effective treatment.
Though the Congressional Budget Office has been singing its praises since 2007 (pdf), comparative effectiveness research became a buzz phrase in the health care reform debate earlier this year. The Obama administration and others are hoping the research helps limit spiraling health care costs without compromising quality of care. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act includes $1.1 billion for this research, according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
Earlier this year, the National Institutes of Health (NIH)Â issued its list of “highest priority challenge topics” (pdf)Â for comparative effectiveness research. On Tuesday, the Institute of Medicine, which is part of the National Academies, chimed in with its own list.
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Like the NIH, the Institute of Medicine puts high on its list comparing effectiveness research on expensive biologics that treat inflammatory diseases, according to the Wall Street Journal Health blog. These biologics include Remicade and Simponi from Johnson & Johnson and Schering-Plough, Abbott Laboratories’ Humira, and Enbrel from Wyeth Pharmaceuticals and Amgen, the Journal said.
In particular, the Institute of Medicine recommends comparing treatments with each other or other meaningful alternatives, rather than with placebos, Sheldon Greenfield, co-chair of the institute’s committee, told the Journal. Greenfield also is professor of medicine and director of Institute for Health Policy Research at the University of California, Irvine.
The Journal lists some of the institute’s top priorities:
- Surgical and medical treatments for atrial fibrillation
- School programs targeting childhood obesity
- Innovative ways for preventing pregnancies
- Various ways to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder in children
- Different delivery models — primary care, dental offices schools — for preventing cavities in kids
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