Are international guidelines for health economic studies needed?

Abstract

S hould there be international harmonisation of guidelines for conducting health economic studies, or is it best to ‘ let a thousand flowers bloom ’, asked Professor Michael Drummond from the University of York, UK, at PharmEcon ′97 [ Paris, France; June 1997 ]. At the meeting, he outlined some of the issues that arise when we consider the development of international health economic guidelines. In particular, he discussed: the arguments for and against the use of international guidelines; practical considerations in international guideline development; and the potential impact of international guidelines.