Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40855354›Full record

ArticleGlobal health research and policy2025

How policymakers value end-of-life treatments for rare and common diseases in China: evidence from a contingent valuation study.

Han Cheng, Shan Jiang, Taoran Liu, Boyang Li, Shanquan Chen, Ao Li, Hao Chen, Haiyin Wang, Yuanyuan Gu

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Article in Global health research and policy, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Han Cheng *Macquarie University Centre for the Health Economy, Macquarie Business School and Australian Institute of Health Innovation, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Shan Jiang *Macquarie University Centre for the Health Economy, Macquarie Business School and Australian Institute of Health Innovation, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Taoran LiuDepartment of Infectious Diseases and Public Health, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
Boyang LiSchool of Political Science and Public Administration, Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, China.
Shanquan ChenInternational Centre for Evidence in Disability, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
Ao LiWest China School of Public Health and West China Fourth Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
Hao ChenSchool of Medicine and Health Management, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
Haiyin WangShanghai Health Development Research Center (SHDRC), Shanghai, China. wanghaiyin@shdrc.org.
Yuanyuan GuMacquarie University Centre for the Health Economy, Macquarie Business School and Australian Institute of Health Innovation, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundUnderstanding policymakers' value judgements in reimbursement decisions is essential for promoting equity and guiding informed healthcare decision-making. This study aimed to estimate and compare Chinese policymakers' willingness-to-pay (WTP) per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) specifically in end-of-life treatment scenarios involving life-threatening common and rare diseases.

methodsWe conducted a contingent valuation study employing single-bounded dichotomous-choice questions among 120 experts formally appointed by China's National Healthcare Security Administration to serve on the National Reimbursement Drug List Expert Committee in recent years. Participants evaluated hypothetical scenarios describing end-of-life treatments providing a one-QALY gain for patients with life-threatening common or rare diseases. Data were collected primarily through face-to-face interviews, supplemented by online responses when in-person meetings were impractical. Statistical analysis was performed using probit regression models, and t-tests were conducted to compare WTP values between scenarios.

resultsA total of 99 policymakers participated. Participants' WTP per QALY for end-of-life treatments in common disease scenarios ranged from CNY 78,031 (0.98 times GDP per capita) to CNY 126,449 (1.58 times GDP per capita). In contrast, WTP was significantly higher for rare diseases, ranging from CNY 183,392 (2.29 times GDP per capita) to CNY 219,691 (2.75 times GDP per capita). Analysis of individual characteristics revealed that female participants and those with expertise in pharmacoeconomics exhibited significantly higher WTP values in common disease scenarios (p < 0.05), though these factors had varied effects in rare disease scenarios.

conclusionsThis study provides novel estimates of Chinese policymakers' WTP per QALY specifically in end-of-life contexts involving common and rare diseases, highlighting the significant impact of disease rarity on reimbursement decisions. These findings offer empirical support for adopting differentiated cost-effectiveness thresholds tailored to end-of-life treatments based on disease rarity in China.

Indexed as

Administrative PersonnelRare DiseasesTerminal CareAdultChinaCost-Benefit AnalysisDecision MakingFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedQuality-Adjusted Life YearsContingent valuationCost-effectiveness thresholdDrug reimbursementHealthcare resource allocationPriority settingQALYRare diseaseWillingness to pay

Identifiers

PMID40855354
PMCPMC12379523

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.