Looking at how well drugs work in routine clinical practice, rather than only in experimental randomised controlled clinical trials (RCTs), is increasingly seen as essential for a proper assessment of both net benefit (health gain minus harm and value (net benefit minus net cost). Establishing...

In 1975, 50 year-old Americans could expect to live slightly longer than their European counterparts. By 2005, American life expectancy at that age has diverged substantially compared to Europe. We find that this growing longevity gap is primarily the symptom of real declines in the health of...