Cost-effectiveness thresholds: theory, pragmatism, and NICE's new number

In April this year, NICE raised its cost-effectiveness threshold for the first time in 20 years, moving from £20,000-£30,000 per QALY to £25,000–£35,000 per QALY. On paper, it’s not a big difference. But the fact that there was a change, and how it came about, is significant.   Grace Hampson is joined by Adrian Towse, who ran OHE as its Director for many years, and Chris Sampson, Senior Principal Economist at OHE, to dig into one of the most contested debates in health economics: the cost-effectiveness threshold, what it represents, and how it should be determined.   A Dose of Economics is Grace and the Office of Health Economics (OHE) team thinking out loud — debating the questions that matter most in healthcare policy, resource allocation, and health system decision-making, with the experts doing the work at the highest level. New episodes drop every Tuesday. If there’s a topic you’d like us to cover, feel free to ⁠⁠⁠share your ideas⁠⁠⁠.