The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) invited the manufacturer of pazopanib hydrochloride (GlaxoSmithKline) to submit evidence of the clinical and cost effectiveness of the drug for the first-line treatment of advanced and/or metastatic renal cell carcinoma, as part of...

This paper explores the potential for use of an economic evaluation framework alongside systematic reviews. Clinical issues in dialysis therapy for end stage renal disease are used as case studies. The effectiveness data required were obtained from a systematic review of randomized controlled...

Background: There is evidence that the earlier a patient reaches hospital and receives thrombolysis, the better the outcome. The GREAT (Grampian Region Early Anistreplase Trial) directly addressed the issue of early thrombolysis by evaluating, in a randomised controlled trial, the efficacy of...

The introduction of new interventional procedures is less regulated than for other health technologies such as pharmaceuticals. Decisions are often taken on evidence of efficacy and short-term safety from small-scale usually observational studies. This reflects the particular challenges of...

Objectives To investigate how interventional procedures (IPs) are introduced into the British National Health Services and identify areas for improvement in the current process.Methods Qualitative study using one to one semi-structured interviews. Using the framework approach, the data generated...

Background: Methods for systematic reviews of the effects of health interventions have focused mainly on addressing the question of 'What works?' or 'Is this intervention effective in achieving one or more specific outcomes?' Addressing the question 'Is it worth it given the resources...