People willing to pay more for medicines to treat severe conditions – new report reveals

A new report has highlighted that the public places a higher value on medicines for severe medical conditions, such as terminal cancer, than the thresholds
currently used by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).

The study, conducted by the Office of Health Economics (OHE), found a misalignment between NICE’s current ‘severity modifier’—which determines whether a medicine
is recommended for coverage on the National Health Service (NHS)—and the UK public’s preference for prioritising health gains for more severe diseases.

The research, commissioned and funded by the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI), also indicated that the public is willing to pay more for
medicines used to treat patients with severe disease.

Titled ‘Understanding Societal Preferences for Priority by Disease Severity in England and Wales,’ the report suggested that NICE’s current severity modifier may
be limiting access to innovative treatments for NHS patients.

The ABPI has called on the government and NICE to adopt a more flexible approach when assessing medicines for severe conditions.