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Old data can transform the future of healthcare

Monday, 15 September 2025
University of Twente

Patient preference studies (research into what patients value in their treatment) are increasingly used to inform drug development and regulatory approval decisions. But these studies are expensive and time-consuming to conduct. Yet, their results are rarely used beyond their original purpose. Researchers from the University of Twente, in collaboration with international colleagues, identified opportunities to reuse findings from existing studies, thereby improving resource usage during patient-focused drug development.

The study, published in Value in Health, analysed research trends across 777 published patient preference studies. The team found that in areas such as type 2 diabetes, many studies use the same methods and have a similar clinical focus, making it possible to combine results across studies. This opens the door to “benefit transfer”: statistically synthesising preference evidence from multiple studies to predict preferences in a new decision context. In other disease areas, such as cancer, psoriasis, and multiple sclerosis, the picture is more fragmented, but the researchers still see opportunities for benefit transfers.

Making use of what we know

The findings show that smarter use of existing data can make research along the medical product lifecycle more sustainable. This not only saves resources but also ensures that patient voices continue to shape new treatments and policies long after the original study.


More information 

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