The Neglected Purpose of Comparative-Effectiveness Research

doi:10.1056/NEJMp0902195

Volume 360:1929-1931		May 7, 2009		Number 19

The Neglected Purpose of Comparative-Effectiveness Research

Aanand D. Naik, M.D., and Laura A. Petersen, M.D., M.P.H.

Since this article has no abstract, we have provided an extract of the first 100 words of the full text and any section headings.

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PubMed Citation

On February 17, 2009, President Barack Obama signed into lawan initiative providing $1.1 billion to support research onthe comparative effectiveness of drugs, medical devices, surgicalprocedures, and other treatments for various conditions. Thiscomparative-effectiveness research (CER) initiative has generatedconsiderable controversy. Industry and free-market advocateshave expressed concerns about the role of cost-effectivenessanalyses within CER and subsequent governmental intrusion intodoctor–patient decisions.

Despite such controversy, the broad consensus is that althoughthe amount of funding the federal government provides for researchis already large, the translation of this investment into practice,enabling new laboratory discoveries to reach . . . [Full Text of this Article]

Source Information

Dr. Naik is an investigator at and Dr. Petersen the director of the Houston Health Services Research and Development Center of Excellence at the Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Houston. Dr. Naik is a member and Dr. Petersen the leader of the Clinical Services and Health Policy Core of the John M. Eisenberg Center for Clinical Decisions and Communications Sciences at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, where Dr. Naik is also an assistant professor and Dr. Petersen chief of the Section of Health Services Research in the Department of Medicine.