Valuing patient expertise in drug development

A fair market value calculator for patient engagement rolled out this week by the National Health Council aims to clear up concerns over pay for patients that may have limited their engagement in drug development. NHC hopes the tool will help set an industry benchmark for pharmas to fairly compensate patients, caregivers and patient advocacy group representatives for their expertise.

Patient-focused drug development has been a priority of FDA’s since the agency held its first workshop on the topic in 2012. One of the barriers to realizing this goal, NHC’s Elisabeth Oehrlein told BioCentury, has been determining how to properly compensate patients for their role in drug development. Oehrlein is senior director of research and programs for NHC, an umbrella group comprising more than 140 healthcare organizations and businesses that include patient advocacy groups, biopharmas and payers. ...