Life Sciences

We are experts in performing cost-benefit and cost-utility analyses of health technologies. Our approach goes beyond conventional, health-centric cost-effectiveness analyses to account for a broader range of health, social, and economic impacts. Our analyses allow decision-makers to consider the costs of health programs in the context of their full benefits.

At the core of our approach is a series of sophisticated epidemiological and economic models. We employ Markov and agent-based models to understand disease dynamics, and we develop and apply state-of-the-art lifecycle models to quantify the consequences of infection, prevention, and treatment on well-being. We continually push the envelope to develop conceptual and methodological innovations, as evidenced by our numerous peer-reviewed publications.

Our team has successfully demonstrated that our clients’ vaccination programs have significant, broad benefits and rates of return that often exceed standard policy thresholds for recommendation and reimbursement decisions. We have also applied these principles to health technologies, including medical devices, procedures, and pharmaceutical drugs, and health system reforms.

Representative Work:

• Evaluated the health and economic value of COVID-19 vaccines administered globally from December 2020 – December 2021. Manuscript has been submitted to a journal.
  
• Performed cost-utility and cost-benefit analysis of pediatric pneumococcal conjugate vaccines in Egypt.
  
• Determined the benefits of trans catheter aortic valve replacement among patients with severe symptomatic aortic stenosis in the United States for a medical device company.
• Analyzed the benefits of the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine for adults in Denmark and in Turkey for a Fortune 100 pharmaceutical company.

We have developed an innovative approach to studying the burden of disease. In addition to effects on mortality and morbidity, our novel frameworks account for the economic and social impacts of diseases. We calculate the full social and economic burdens of disease, including impacts on mental health, educational attainment, employment outcomes, quantity and quality of leisure time, time spent in caregiving, household savings, and social equity.

Representative Work:

• Determined the incidence and associated economic burden of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias for a nonprofit organization and the World Economic Forum.
• Developed a framework on how to address Alzheimer’s disease and support healthier aging.

Using our expert understanding of what researchers need to make the most of patient-reported outcomes (PRO) data, we bring a unique perspective to the selection of PRO questionnaires in clinical studies. Our approach involves looking beyond conventional questionnaires to develop innovative solutions that represent the broad impacts of health technologies. We consider and assemble all pertinent PRO instruments, including generic health utility instruments (e.g., EQ-5D, AQoL-8D) and condition-specific instruments (e.g., Flu-PRO, CSS).

We conduct multi-criteria decision analyses to determine the most appropriate PRO instruments. We weigh factors like an instrument’s peer-reviewed support and breadth of relevancy against its licensure costs and respondent burden. We tailor our recommendations to the regulatory context, adhering to the guidelines of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the European Medicines Agency (EMA), and any other relevant regulatory agencies.

Representative Work:

• Recommended a set of PRO instruments for the Phase III clinical trial of a respiratory disease vaccine for a well-established pharmaceutical company.

We advance important policy considerations and innovative ideas in the practice of health economics. We work with our partners to prepare commentaries, policy pieces, and opinion articles for well-known academic journals, newspapers, and public health and development organizations to influence public sentiment, policy decisions, and research priorities.

Representative Work:

• Published a policy piece in Journal of Medical Economics to explain why COVID-19 vaccines should be evaluated from a societal perspective.
  
• Published an opinion piece in Journal of Medical Economics arguing that the US Vaccines for Children program should not exclude passive immunization technologies, such as monoclonal antibodies for RSV.
  
• Published a state-of-the-art taxonomy of vaccination’s values in Current Opinion in Immunology.
  
• Published a perspective piece in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) to raise awareness about antimicrobial resistance and suggest opportunities to include impacts on antimicrobial resistance in economic evaluations. 
• Authored a National Bureau of Economic Research working paper to propose a novel mechanism for public financing of health technologies. 
• Published a column in Vox-EU to discuss the socioeconomic challenges of the growing elderly population and the potential for public health policy to address them.
• Published a commentary piece in The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal to explain why the failings of conventional economic evaluations can lead to low adoption rates of important childhood vaccines.
• Published an article in Frontiers in Public Health on health technology assessment for vaccines against rare, severe infections.