NPC Request for Research Proposals on Individual Treatment Effects

NPC’s recent research, conferences and activities have explored the “myth” of the average patient, highlighting the policy, coverage and health outcomes challenges when a patient’s response to a treatment is different from what most individuals experience. This response is referred to as an individual treatment effect, or heterogeneity (HTE). For example, one person might have bothersome side effects, while someone else will not; and another person’s condition might be successfully treated with one medicine while the next person experiences no benefit from the very same treatment.

When it comes to individual treatment effects, there is still a lot more that we can learn. From our previous research, we know that health decisions based just on studies of “average” patients can have serious consequences, especially for conditions like cancer, schizophrenia and depression. Now, NPC is currently seeking research proposals to help identify and understand HTE in additional compelling clinical areas. This request for proposals is intended to provide evidence that demonstrates and describes HTE in specific health condition case examples and looks at the importance of considering HTE in health care decision-making.

Proposals should not involve case examples for which HTE is clearly predictable (i.e., a biomarker exists which clearly determines which patients will respond to treatments and who will not), but rather cases where HTE is somewhat unpredictable and for which multiple treatment options can benefit the patient population. NPC is seeking proposals that can be completed within a 9-12 month time frame with a budget ranging from $50,000 - $150,000.

For additional information for this RFP, please click here.