National Pharmaceutical Council Comments on Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute Board of Governors

WASHINGTON, Sept. 23 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- National Pharmaceutical Council (NPC) President Dan Leonard today commented on the appointment of the Board of Governors for the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), a private, non-profit corporation created by the health reform law to develop and fund comparative effectiveness research (CER).  

"The decisions made by this first PCORI board will have a significant impact on the future of CER and its utility for health care decision makers," said Leonard. "After all, this board, along with the methodology committee, will be setting the framework for determining CER priorities, developing sound standards and methodologies for data and research, and translating research results in a useful and understandable way."

Leonard also outlined some general principles to ensure that CER will work to provide the best health outcomes for patients.

"Given the importance of the research that will be developed, the Board must ensure that there is a broad opportunity for discussion about CER findings by all key stakeholders who generate or disseminate this information," he said. He added that CER end users—health care decision makers who include patients, payers and physicians, among others—also will benefit from the harmonization of appropriate standards for CER generation because it will enable a more predictable environment for the adoption and use of evidence in decision-making.

"NPC applauds the Comptroller General for selecting a diverse and well qualified group of individuals to serve as PCORI's first board of governors," said Leonard. "We look forward to working with the members of PCORI as they prepare for the hard work that lies ahead."

NPC supported the creation of PCORI and outlined several principles for consideration in its testimony and comments before the federal agencies involved in the development of PCORI. NPC's previous comments on CER and related research are available at www.npcnow.org. In addition, NPC has several studies currently underway looking at CER's impact on innovation and patient access, the standards for evidence generation, and at the differences in standards for generating evidence among government health agencies. These studies can help health care stakeholders better understand the current CER environment as they consider new research methods and standards.

About the National Pharmaceutical Council

NPC's overarching mission is to sponsor and conduct scientific analyses of the appropriate use of biopharmaceuticals and the clinical and economic value of innovation. The organization's strategic focus is on evidence-based medicine (EBM) for health care decision-making, to ensure that patients have access to high-quality care. NPC was established in 1953 and is supported by the nation's major NPC was established in 1953 and is supported by the nation's major research-based pharmaceutical companies. For more information, visit www.npcnow.org.

SOURCE National Pharmaceutical Council