title: Estimating the payoffs from cardiovascular disease research in Canada: an economic analysis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Investments in medical research can result in health improvements, reductions in health expenditures and secondary economic benefits. These "returns" have not been quantified in Canada. Our objective was to estimate the return on cardiovascular disease research funded by public or charitable organizations.
  
  
  METHODS
  Our primary outcome was the internal rate of return on cardiovascular disease research funded by public or charitable sources. The internal rate of return is the annual monetary benefit to the economy for each dollar invested in cardiovascular disease research. Calculation of the internal rate of return involved the following: measuring expenditures on cardiovascular disease research, estimating the health gains accrued from new treatments for cardiovascular disease, determining the proportion of health gains attributable to cardiovascular disease research and the time lag between research expenditures and health gains, and estimating the spillovers from public- or charitable-sector investments to other sectors of the economy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Expenditures by public or charitable organizations on cardiovascular disease research from 1981 to 1992 amounted to $392 million (2005 dollars). Health gains associated with new treatments from 1994 to 2005 (13-yr lag) amounted to 2.2 million quality-adjusted life-years. We calculated an internal rate of return of 20.6%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Canadians obtain relatively high health and economic gains from investments in cardiovascular disease research. Every $1 invested in cardiovascular disease research by public or charitable sources yields a stream of benefits of roughly $0.21 to the Canadian economy per year, in perpetuity.
authors: Department of Social and Epidemiological Research, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ont. ; Toronto Health Economics and Technology Assessment Collaborative, Toronto, Ont.
authors: Claire
authors: C
authors: de Oliveira
authors: Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont.
authors: Hai V
authors: HV
authors: Nguyen
authors: Schulich Heart Centre, Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, Ont. ; Toronto Health Economics and Technology Assessment Collaborative, Toronto, Ont.
authors: Harindra C
authors: HC
authors: Wijeysundera
authors: Toronto Health Economics and Technology Assessment Collaborative, Toronto, Ont.
authors: William W L
authors: WW
authors: Wong
authors: Toronto Health Economics and Technology Assessment Collaborative, Toronto, Ont.
authors: Gloria
authors: G
authors: Woo
authors: Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont. ; Toronto Health Economics and Technology Assessment Collaborative, Toronto, Ont.
authors: Paul
authors: P
authors: Grootendorst
authors: University Health Network, Toronto, Ont.
authors: Peter P
authors: PP
authors: Liu
authors: University Health Network, Toronto, Ont. ; Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont. ; Toronto Health Economics and Technology Assessment Collaborative, Toronto, Ont ; Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont.
authors: Murray D
authors: MD
authors: Krahn