Session (CTI)

An important new source of UK utilities (‘value sets’) for health-related quality of life (HRQoL), as measured by EQ-5D-5L, was recently published in Value in Health (Rowen et al, 2026). Currently the subject of a NICE public consultation, this value set is likely to become the recommended source of utilities in submissions to NICE and, in effect, to become the new “gold standard.” In this Forum, the key characteristics of this new value set and the methods used to generate it will be presented by Yemi Oluboyede on behalf of the UK research team. Our second speaker, Allan Wailoo, will present the results from an analysis of the effect of applying the new values in economic evaluation, compared to previous values endorsed by NICE. What impact will this new value set have on estimates of incremental quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios—and for healthcare decisions? Our third speaker, Feng Xie will consider the wider implications of this work and the approaches taken by the UK research team for future research on HRQoL utilities worldwide. Does its use of time trade off signal a move away from online, self-completed discrete choice experiments, and a return to personal interviews? If US decision makers shift away from QALYs—toward Generalized Risk-Adjusted Cost-Effectiveness Analysis (GRACE), Equal Value of Life Years (evLY), or some other approach—what would the implications be for the HRQoL utilities that are needed? This session will be moderated by Dan Ollendorf who will offer reflections on these presentations and highlight their relevance for reimbursement decisions and evidence to support pricing in the United States and elsewhere.