Alternatives to the Quality-Adjusted Life Year: How Well Do They Address Common Criticisms?

Proposals to adopt health technology assessment (HTA) to support value-based pricing of prescription drugs in the US have faced pushback over the use of the QALY. There is no single "right" outcome measure, and the criticisms of QALYs apply to other outcome measures used to evaluate health. The measures identified have different features and strengths, which may be appropriate for specific decision-making goals, but the QALY remains the best option for decisions-making that requires comparisons of the overall societal value of health gains. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.