The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has provisionally approved sofosbuvir (brand name Sovaldi) for the treatment of hepatitis C, a decision that has surprised some commentators given its high […]
James Raftery’s NICE blogs
James Raftery: Should the NHS use the new meningitis B vaccine?
The argument over whether the NHS should fund Bexsero, the new meningitis B vaccine from Novartis, raises a global issue about the price of the new vaccine, as well as […]
James Raftery: NICE proposes alternative for value based pricing
Recent headlines have indicated NICE’s displeasure at how it has been asked to implement value based pricing. The stories are based on a paper, “Value based assessment of health technologies,” […]
James Raftery: Value based pricing—terms of reference given by the Department of Health to NICE
On 20 June the Department of Health announced that: “Expert body given responsibility to look at the benefits medicines bring to wider society.” The terms of reference are not on […]
James Raftery: Value based pricing—NICE to have key role
The response of the government to the House of Common’s health committee’s report on the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has provided clarification both on value based […]
James Raftery: Value based pricing—equality effects and ways forward
This blog reports on the third workshop held by the Department of Health on the methods being planned for value based pricing, due to start in January 2014. Previous workshops […]
James Raftery: QALYs and value based pricing
This blog reports on a workshop held by the Department of Health on 28 November 2012 under Chatham House rules, that is the discussion can be reported but not attributed. […]
James Raftery: Moving to value based pricing—adjusting costs
With the introduction of value based pricing scheduled to apply to new drugs when the current prescription pricing regulation system expires in 2014, the Department of Health has been working […]
James Raftery: Breast cancer screening review—would NICE have done it differently?
The publication of a summary of the benefits and harms of breast cancer screening in the Lancet, with the full report to follow, raises the question of whether referring this […]
James Raftery: NICE, obesity, and bariatric surgery
The trends on obesity are shocking. UK data on the prevalence of obesity in adults and children are provided by the National Obesity Observatory, which also shows the social gradient […]