REENGINEERING DRUG DEVELOPMENT - INTEGRATING PHARMACOECONOMIC RESEARCH INTO THE DRUG DEVELOPMENT PROCESS

Pharmacoeconomic research will be an increasingly important aspect of drug development as providers, third-party payers, and worldwide gover nment health agencies use cost-effectiveness and quality-of-life data to assist in making decisions on optimal pharmaceutical treatment prot ocols, formulary listings, and reimbursement. It is in the best intere st of pharmaceutical companies to have an established, well-integrated pharmacoeconomic research program that can respond to the dynamic hea lth-care environment and proactively plan a program to optimize patien t care. The new paradigm for pharmacoeconomic research will require es tablishment and successful management of many internal and external cu stomer relationships. This article discusses one company's organizatio n of these relationships and how they are integrated into the drug dev elopment process during each stage of the product life cycle.(2)