The Medical Technology Research Group (MTRG) is a research unit within LSE Health and concentrates on interdisciplinary and comparative policy research on medical technologies. The group aims to produce high quality research, to provide education, training, policy support and advice to key stakeholders, including governments and international organisations. Central to the activities of the group and its members is the focus on policy analysis and policy evaluation.

The primary research areas within the group are as follows:

First, the economics of medical technologies, in particular, medicines and medical devices, where the focus is on researching the financing mechanisms for and access to medical technology in developed countries; the performance, effectiveness and impact of regulation and individual regulatory policies in developed countries; the way new treatments diffuse; the nature of prevailing competition in medical technology markets and the impact of regulation; the use and impact of health technology assessment on health care; and the dynamics of innovation. Work streams under this area comprise:

Competition in generic medicines markets and the impact of regulation;
The impact of HTA in Europe, Canada and Australia;
Measuring performance of HTA agencies in 6 countries;
Pricing of medicines, pricing dynamics and determinants of pharmaceutical prices in OECD countries;
The economics of cross-border trade;
The economics of innovation;

Second, to conduct research on Prescribing, appropriateness and quality of care; in so doing, explore rational drug use, overuse, underuse and misuse of medications, their determinants and their potential impact on health care and outcomes. Work streams under this area comprise:

Research on comparative effectiveness and economic evaluation;
Uptake and utilisation of medications in primary and secondary prevention of chronic illnesses (e.g. heart disease, diabetes);
Diffusion of medicines;
The impact of HTA guidance on the diffusion of new medicines and medical devices;

Third, to conduct research on Access to medical technologies in developing, transition and emerging economies; In this area, we study and attempt to quantify the impact of health reforms and the uptake of health insurance in developing or emerging market, as well as assess the impact these are having on access to drug treatments. Also, study how economic and health policies affect access to medical technologies in developing countries. Work streams in this research area comprise:

Global partnerships;
Access, availability and affordability of medicines in developing countries;
Financing mechanisms for medicines in resource-poor countries;
Health Technology Assessment;

Fourth, to conduct research on Disease management and the effectiveness of policies on medical technology, aiming to capture current information regarding the management and funding of chronic or life-threatening conditions, the extent to which national standards for the treatment of patients are defined, highlight advances in medical treatment and the determinants of their uptake in different health care systems as well as assess the performance of disease management policies or programmes across different health policy settings. Work streams under this research area comprise:

Cancer drug research and innovation;
The continuum of care in colorectal cancer in OECD and BRIC countries;
The cost of diabetes and diabetes complications in Europe;
Assessing the effectiveness of Medicare - Part D;
Assessing the effectiveness of generic medicines policies;
Medical device procurement and reimbursement in European countries;

The Group administers, the Programme on Pharmaceutical Policy Issues (PPPI), the Programme on Medical Devices, conducts research under the auspices of and participates in the European Medicines Information Network (EMI-net), the Network on Rare Diseases (BURQOL-RD), the Optimal Expenditure Network, and is a member of the European Health technology Institute for Socio-Economic Research (EHTI). It also coordinates The Patient Academy, an initiative between academia, and individual health care stakeholders, including patients, practitioners and hospital managers to promote the diffusion of knowledge to stakeholder groups of health care issues and policies.

The Group receives grants from national governments, international organisations and the private sector. Staff members are also affiliated with the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies and the Risk Analysis Unit also housed within LSE Health. If you would like any further information about MTRG, please email: health.mtrg@lse.ac.uk|