NAI PUBLISHED IN MEDICAL PROGRESS TODAY ON THE IMPACT OF REGULATION ON INNOVATION

Many proponents of healthcare reform point to the need for comparative effectiveness research (CER) to guide practice in more cost effective ways. Certainly the potential is there for reducing the overall cost of treatment through more prudent use of resources. And the need for more cost effectiveness is urgent — the US healthcare system is well on its way to bankruptcy. The question is, will CER get us there, and, as important, what will the unanticipated side effects be?

That’s the question considered by Rita Numerof, Ph.D., President of NAI in her article, Regulation’s Impact on Innovation: A Two-Edged Sword, published May 2009 in Medical Progress Today.

Dr. Numerof explores the potential impact of CER-based regulation on the development of new drugs and devices. She concludes that such intervention will inevitably alter the course and productivity of new product development in pharmaceutical and medical device companies, with consequences for the quality and pace of innovation.