Around 12 months ago I joined an exciting new venture: the Population Genomics Health Economists Working Group. This group is made up of health economists and policy researchers from major institutions across the globe who have been at the forefront of the incorporation of genomics into clinical care. The group is chaired by Kathryn A. Phillips, PhD, Director of the Center for Translational and Policy Research on Personalized Medicine (TRANSPERS) at the University of California. You can find out more about the group members here.

The first key output from this working group has been published today: a themed section in the September issue of Value in Health which addresses the challenges and solutions for assessment of the value of clinical genomic testing.

While it’s critical to assess the value of NGS, there are many methodological challenges to doing so. This series of expert articles highlights not only these challenges, but also suggests innovative solutions to move the value assessment process forward for precision medicine. The five papers in this this theme section (listed below) incorporate a wide range of perspectives and topics and use both systematic reviews and case studies. All five papers focus on the overarching issue of proposing new methodologies to assess the value of NGS-based technologies in clinical care. The proposals included are not only intended for health economic researchers, but also for other stakeholders including health technology assessment organisations, payers, clinical researchers, and the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries.

Further outputs from this working group are planned for the next 12-18 months, so keep your eyes peeled for news. Most of the working group members will be attending the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) meeting in Barcelona in November 2018. Please do come and find us during this ISPOR meeting if you want to chat in person about our current and future plans.

Value in Health Theme Section Articles 

• Phillips KA, Deverka PA, Marshall DA, Wordsworth S, Regier DA, Christensen KD, Buchanan J. Methodological Challenges and Solutions for Assessing Economic Value of Next Generation Sequencing Tests. Value Health. 2018; 21(9):1033-1042. https://www.valueinhealthjournal.com/article/S1098-3015(18)32269-1/fulltext
• Wordsworth S, Doble B, Payne K, Buchanan J, Marshall DA, McCabe C, Regier DA. Using ‘big’ data in the cost-effectiveness analysis of genomic-based diagnostic tests: challenges and potential solutions. Value Health. 2018; 21(9):1048-1053. https://www.valueinhealthjournal.com/article/S1098-3015(18)32265-4/fulltext
• Reiger DA, Weymann D, Buchanan J, Marshall DA, Wordsworth S. Valuation of Health and Non-health Benefits from Next Generation Sequencing: Approaches, Challenges, and Solutions. Value Health 2018; 21(9):1043-1047. https://www.valueinhealthjournal.com/article/S1098-3015(18)32259-9/fulltext
• Christensen KD, Phillips KA, Green RC, Dukhovny D. Cost Analyses of Genomic Sequencing – Lessons Learned from the MedSeq Project. Value Health. 2018; 21(9):1054-1061. https://www.valueinhealthjournal.com/article/S1098-3015(18)32262-9/fulltext
• Trosman JR, Weldon CB, Gradishar WJ, Benson AB III, Cristofanilli M, Kurian AW, Ford JM, Balch A, Watkins J, Phillips KA. From the Past to the Present: Insurer Coverage Frameworks for Next-Generation Tumor Sequencing. Value Health. 2018; 21(9):1062-1068. https://www.valueinhealthjournal.com/article/S1098-3015(18)32260-5/fulltext