Office of Health Economics

How can economic policies drive environmentally sustainable innovation in life sciences? The 2024 Innovation Policy Prize challenged global thinkers to propose solutions at the intersection of healthcare and the climate crisis. This year’s winners tackled some of the most pressing challenges in sustainable health innovation: Aligning economic incentives for sustainability 💡Professor Andrew Briggs proposed a three-pronged policy to embed environmental costs upfront in life sciences R&D. 💡His model introduces a dual reward system, combining domestic tax credits with a global fund for health interventions in lower-income countries. Green technology for lower-income countries 💡Professor Thomas Pogge's Ecological Impact Fund (EIF) aims to incentivize "greenovations" where they’re needed most. 💡The EIF would reward innovators for pollution-caused harm averted while ensuring equitable access to green technology. Both proposals highlight the need for global cooperation and financing to accelerate sustainable innovation. Read our insight on the winning proposals here: https://lnkd.in/dwSyM2gw Would love to hear your thoughts—how can economic policies drive sustainable innovation in healthcare? #innovation #sustainablehealth #healthcareinnovation #climateandhealth #greeninnovation #healtheconomics #globalhealth #sustainability

Publication from the Archives Inequalities in Dementia – Unveiling the Evidence and Forging a Path Towards Greater Understanding This report, published last June, identified 110 inequalities affecting people living with dementia and their carers across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Key Findings 🔹 Inequalities are linked to factors such as location, deprivation, socioeconomic status, age, culture, and ethnicity. 🔹 Significant disparities exist in diagnosis rates, access to healthcare, A&E attendances, hospital admissions, and participation in clinical trials. 🔹 Diagnosis rates in rural areas are 5-8 percentage points lower than urban areas, with the gap widening since 2020. 🔹 Gender, financial pressures, well-being, and systemic healthcare challenges contribute to these inequalities. 🔹 Around 41% of informal carers face financial difficulties, and approximately 20% are out of the labour force due to caregiving responsibilities. Recommendations 💡 Improve the collection and publication of dementia data to accurately measure inequalities. 💡 Increase quantitative research to better understand and address these disparities. With nearly 1 million people in the UK currently living with dementia—a number expected to rise to 1.4 million by 2040. This report highlights the ongoing need for better data and research, aligning with the goals of Integrated Care Systems and the NHS Long Term Plan. Find out more from Sian Hodgson, Helen Hayes, Patricia Cubi-Molla, and Martina Garau here: https://lnkd.in/dt-34gEN #dementia #healthinequalities #dementiacare #healthdisparities #carersupport #dementiaresearch #NHS #mentalhealth #publichealth

Build your career in health economics OHE is accepting applications for the 2025/26 MSc Fellowship Programme! We sponsor up to two part-time home MSc students in Health Economics at City St George’s, University of London, covering full tuition fees and providing a £1,600 monthly stipend. What’s Included: 🎓 Fully funded MSc in Health Economics 💼 Work experience at OHE alongside your studies 💡 A potential pathway to a full-time role at OHE Who Can Apply? This opportunity is ideal for candidates with a BSc in economics or a related field, but applicants from all backgrounds are welcome. You must secure admission to the MSc in Health Economics or Economic Evaluation in Healthcare at City St George’s. Application deadline: 31 May 2024 Find out more and apply here: https://lnkd.in/dypdk_5Y #healthcareeconomics #mscfellowship #careerdevelopment #economicseducation #ohefellowship #studyandwork

£184 million NHS Savings and 177,681 Fewer Long-COVID Cases     As Veganuary is almost over, we’re revisiting our previous research on the health and economic benefits of plant-based diets. Last year, our model-based analysis estimated that if everyone in England adopted a plant-based diet, the NHS could save around £6.7 billion per year, preventing over 2 million cases of chronic disease and gaining 172,735 quality-adjusted life years (QALYs). But what about infectious diseases, particularly COVID-19?     What’s New?  🥦A systematic review and meta-analysis found that plant-based diets were linked to a 59% lower risk of COVID-19 infection in case-control studies.  🥦 Individuals following a plant-based diet also had a 62% lower risk of hospitalisation from COVID-19.  🥦 Although our model primarily addresses chronic diseases, our estimates suggest that a reduced COVID-19 infection rate could result in 177,681 fewer long-COVID cases annually.  🥦 This could equate to £184 million in NHS savings, potentially rising to £600 million under higher risk reduction scenarios.     While 100% adoption of vegan diets is ambitious, even incremental dietary shifts could yield substantial health and economic benefits. Denmark is already leading the way with government-backed plant-based food strategies.     Read Nadine Henderson and Chris Sampson's insight here: https://lnkd.in/dTPdWYwx #veganuary #plantbaseddiet #healthbenefits #prevention #NHS #longcovid #covid19 #chronicdisease #QUALY  

Conversation on Antimicrobial Resistance Policy and Innovation Grace Hampson will be speaking at a conference on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) policy and research on 30 January 2025 at 9:50 GMT. This event will touch on critical priorities and next steps outlined in the Confronting Antimicrobial Resistance: 2024 to 2029 Policy Paper and discuss solutions to tackle AMR, including: 🔹 The NHS England subscription model to incentivize pharmaceutical innovation. 🔹Leveraging AI and Whole Genome Sequencing for early detection and diagnostics. 🔹 Strengthening global leadership in AMR research and collaboration. 🔹 Supporting the development of new antimicrobials and therapies. This is a unique opportunity to engage with policymakers, researchers, and industry leaders shaping the future of AMR stewardship and innovation. Find out more: https://lnkd.in/ddkP93pK

Can diversity of supply in rare disease (RD) markets improve patients’ health and health system efficiency?      Rare disease medicine markets often rely on single suppliers, leaving healthcare systems and patients vulnerable to medicine shortages and lack of choice. While regulatory and reimbursement policies address some challenges in RD innovation, they often overlook supply resilience and the value added by diversity of supply.     Single-supplier reliance amplifies risks:  🔸RD markets often lack treatment alternatives, even when alternatives are available.  🔸Reliance on single suppliers increases the risk and impact of medicine shortages. T   🔸Single-winner tenders and reimbursement policies limiting supply diversity, may unintentionally increase this risk.    The importance of Diversity of Supply in RD markets:  🔸It mitigates the impact of shortages, ensuring optimal healthcare and protection of patients’ health.  🔸It provides choices for prescribers and patients, improving health outcomes and value.  🔸Competition among suppliers drives innovation to address unmet needs and may increase price competition.  🔸While non rare-specific medicine policies recognise the issue of shortages as critical and promote supply resilience,  RD-focused policies lack targeted guidance.     To enhance resilience and innovation in RD medicine markets:  🔸Align regulatory, procurement, and reimbursement policies to support supplier diversity.  🔸Promote tender mechanisms that encourage multiple suppliers rather than "winner-takes-all" models.     Building resilient and sustainable RD medicine markets requires a cohesive policy framework that balances value-based assessments with supply resilience strategies. By fostering supplier diversity, we can reduce the risk of medicine shortages, improve patient outcomes, and drive innovation where it's needed most.     Read the full report from Matthew Napier, Brittany D., Matthias Hofer, Mikel Berdud García-López and Amanda Cole here: https://lnkd.in/dZ-ifbcp #rarediseases #medicineshortages #healthsystems #diversityofsupply #healthinnovation #patientoutcomes #supplychain

Join Us at the Health Systems of the Future Panel Discussion 📅 Date: Wednesday, 29th January 🕛 Time: 10:30 – 11:30 GST 📍 Location: Conference Dubai C, Dubai World Trade Centre The world is changing, and our health systems must evolve to meet the challenges of tomorrow. This session will explore innovative solutions for funding, contracting, and futureproofing healthcare systems. Key topics include: 🔹Leveraging technology for healthcare transformation 🔹Shifting towards preventative care and outcome-based payment models 🔹Integrating sustainability and out-of-hospital care 🔹Balancing the priorities of governments, investors, and private and public sectors Speakers: chaired by Steve Gardner, panellists: Carly Caton, Graham Cookson, Dr. Ibtesam AlBastaki, Dr Oman Najim, Ian Chambers and Michael Odling-Smee Don’t miss this discussion, find out more: https://lnkd.in/grQxK-5 #ArabHealth #AH25 #ArabHealth50Years

Time is running out—don’t miss your chance to attend the Innovation Policy Prize Award Ceremony! We’re celebrating this year’s winners, Professor Andrew Briggs, and Professor Thomas Pogge, for their groundbreaking contributions to sustainable innovation. 📅 28 January 2025 🕕 18:00 GMT 📍 St Mary’s London, York Street, London W1H 1PQ Andrew’s submission, 'From Delaware to California: A Road Map for Incentivising Environmentally Sustainable Innovation', and Thomas’s project, 'Promoting Greenovations for Low-Income Countries: An Ecological Impact Fund'. This event is an opportunity to: 🔹Network with global leaders in health economics and sustainability. 🔹 Explore the winning ideas and their real-world impact. 🔹Connect with like-minded professionals shaping the future of health and life sciences. Seats are limited, secure your place at this event. Register now before it’s too late: https://hubs.ly/Q02TX_tB0 #innovationpolicy #healtheconomics #sustainability #globalsolutions #policy #innovation

Are you ready to take the next step in your health economics career? Applications are now open for the OHE Graduate School PhD sponsorship for the 2025/26 academic year! This opportunity supports one UK full-time PhD student annually in Health Economics at the Department of Health Policy, @London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). The sponsorship includes full tuition fees, a monthly stipend of £1,600, and the chance to work under joint supervision from LSE and OHE. On completion, graduates are offered a one-year full-time position at OHE, gaining work experience, with the possibility of a permanent role. Don’t miss this chance, the application deadline is 25 April 2025. Apply today: https://lnkd.in/dypdk_5Y #healtheconomics #phdsponsorship #academicopportunity #phdstudents #healtheconomicscareer #lse

The UK's NHS, along with many other health systems globally, are under critical pressure due to the winter flu season, with poor uptake of vaccines and contributing factors. The UK’s NHS is currently under critical pressure due to winter flu season, driven largely by poor uptake of vaccines. Recent OHE research emphasizes the role of prevention, both to ease pressure off the healthcare system and to realize wider socioeconomic benefits. An Underestimated Cost: Our most recent report highlights that respiratory infections are an underestimated drain on the healthcare system and the economy, and finds that respiratory infections cost UK businesses £44 billion in productivity losses. The Solution? Preventative measures, including mask-wearing, social distancing and employer-led vaccination programmes can have big returns. The full report, which was funded and commissioned by Pfizer, is available here: https://lnkd.in/dfEbdbJx A 19x return: We published a ‘first-of-its-kind’ study last year that looked at four adult vaccines across ten countries to determine the wider economic and social impact of adult-vaccinations. We found that adult immunisation programmes return up to 19 times their initial investment when the full spectrum of benefits is valued. The benefits of lifelong vaccination were laid out in an Insight by the IFPMA here: https://lnkd.in/dVgEwTBz What now? We recommend that governments adopt a prevention-first mindset to help ease increasing pressures on health systems and society, with adult immunisation playing a crucial role in enabling us to live longer, healthier, and more productive lives. The full report, commissioned by IFPMA, is online here: https://lnkd.in/eY2rm33U