Delays in publication of cost utility analyses conducted alongside clinical trials: registry analysis

Economic evaluations conducted alongside randomised controlled trials enable analysis of detailed, patient level data on efficacy, cost, and quality of life in a controlled setting. They can provide timely and reliable assessments of value for money, to inform decisions on coverage and reimbursement.1–3 The BMJ recently decided to consider trial based economic evaluations for publication only if the clinical results are submitted to the journal as well.4 We assessed the extent to which cost utility analyses are conducted alongside trials, estimated the time lag between the publication of trials' clinical and economic results, and compared the characteristics of journals publishing the clinical trial data and the cost utility analyses. We conducted a systematic search for original English language cost utility analyses published in 1976-2001 by using Medline and other electronic databases. Two readers independently reviewed each study and came to a consensus on whether the analysis was conducted alongside a trial (data on both efficacy and resource use from the trial were used for the analysis). We …