Can Pharmaceutical Drugs Benefit Society?

There’s more to the value of health care than clinical effectiveness for patients and cost-effectiveness for individuals and governments. As we plan for the future of health care, a welcome addition would be to consider the wider benefits to society. In the US these days, it’s hard to imagine overcoming the political differences that prevent us from agreeing on what it means to benefit society. But it’s worth invoking the genius, power, and magic in bold thinking. This would be a great opportunity for those Harvard Business School types who advocate “shared value” in corporate thinking to make some concrete suggestions-an opportunity for a major contribution both to health care and to a better future for ourselves and our children.

Read the remainder of Dr Henderson's blog here.