PCORI board pledges up to $50M for HCV

The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute approved a plan that would earmark as much as $50 million for up to four comparative clinical effectiveness research (CER) studies on the best methods to diagnose and treat HCV.

PCORI will begin a request-for-proposal process for studies addressing four priority topics: determining which screening methods lead to the best detection rates; evaluating alternatives for delivering care to high-risk populations; assessing trade-offs between long-term virologic response and adverse events; and comparing the risks and benefits of treating immediately vs. active surveillance until a patient shows progression. PCORI spokesperson Christine Stencel said the institute could provide any of the studies with up to $20 million. ...