Personalized medicine and health care policy

"This policy brief explores needed steps in research, development and regulation to facilitate the translation and adoption of high value personalized medicine in the Canadian health care system. It examines the basis of effective development and commercialization including coordination across science, industry and payer communities. All stakeholders will need to fully understand and identify the societal value associated with research and commercialization to make the most of investment in research and to realize the full potential of these interventions for patients, while ensuring they do not drive out existing high value health care activities. As researchers may not have clearly specified value targets from payers or have the capacity to link to those who understand payer need, there may be inherent inefficiencies in approaches to the financing of and conduct of translational research. Our specific recommendations offered with implications to both science policy and universities include 1) insisting that health system payers clearly define what constitutes value; 2) exploring options to more clearly align evidentiary requirements and processes between regulators and health technology assessment bodies that support payers; and 3) increasing strategic focus in applied and technology-oriented basic research that includes emphasizing the need and alignment of experts in HTA, decision-making and economic evaluation in all applied health research activities."--Executive summary.