In his discussion of how NICE covers or doesn't cover cancer drugs Gardiner Harris asserts that I "..likened Dr. Rawlins (the head of NIC) and his institute to terrorists and said their decisions were morally indefensible."
Not true. I said that the NICE decisionmaking approach -- which takes years -- held patients hostage to a QALY measurment that only took into account what NICE thought was valuable to the NHS, not to the patients themselves. And I said that decision because of its perspective and delay was and will be morally indefensible. I stand by that view and stand by the people who lives are cut short and ruined by NICE.
Innovation is not the problem with health care. Innovation is the solution. Cancer care is a small part of the cost of health care and is often the most effective in terms of reducing expenses and extending life. The question is if we had applied the NICE knife 30 years ago, how many of us, our parents, our siblings, our children would be far worse off (yes -- even dead) because of the absence of products not developed or unavailable due to the cumulative impact of cost trumping care?
Not true. I said that the NICE decisionmaking approach -- which takes years -- held patients hostage to a QALY measurment that only took into account what NICE thought was valuable to the NHS, not to the patients themselves. And I said that decision because of its perspective and delay was and will be morally indefensible. I stand by that view and stand by the people who lives are cut short and ruined by NICE.
Innovation is not the problem with health care. Innovation is the solution. Cancer care is a small part of the cost of health care and is often the most effective in terms of reducing expenses and extending life. The question is if we had applied the NICE knife 30 years ago, how many of us, our parents, our siblings, our children would be far worse off (yes -- even dead) because of the absence of products not developed or unavailable due to the cumulative impact of cost trumping care?
