title: Are clinical trials a cost-effective investment?
abstract: To assess the economic attractiveness of clinical research, this study measures the cost-effectiveness of seven selected randomized trials. The model considers the cost of performing a trial and the benefits to the health status of a target population one could expect before the trial was performed. The incremental cost-effectiveness for performing the trials ranged from a low of $2 to $3 per life-year saved for a trial of aspirin in unstable angina to a high of $396 to $685 per life-year saved for the randomized trial portion of the Coronary Artery Surgery Study. These ratios were substantially lower (ie, more economically attractive) than the cost-effectiveness ratios associated with performing interventions of proved effectiveness. This study shows that a selected group of clinical trials, some of which were controversial and expensive, were indeed a good investment. This information may be helpful to policymakers who consider allocating funds to biomedical research.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Administration, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: A S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Detsky
mesh_terms: D035843:Biomedical Research; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic / Q000191:economics*; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D006302:Health Services Research / Q000191:economics*; D015233:Models, Statistical; D011897:Random Allocation; D040841:Resource Allocation; D014481:United States