Earlier this year, the National Institutes of Health came up with a priority list of projects that should get priority for the $1.1 billion in research funding included in the economic stimulus package. Today, the Institute of Medicine issued its own recommendations for the 100 health topics it thinks should get funding. Like the NIH’s list, high on the IOM’s list is conducting comparative effectiveness research on expensive biologics that treat inflammatory diseases. These include Remicade and Simponi from J&J and Schering-Plough, Abbott’s Humira and Enbrel from Wyeth and Amgen. In particular, the IOM recommends comparing “strategies of introducing biologics into the treatment algorithm,” which means comparing treatments with each other or other “meaningful alternatives,” not a placebo, Sheldon Greenfield , co-chair of the IOM committee, professor of medicine and director of Institute for Health Policy Research at the University of California, Irvine, told the Health Blog. It also means figuring out which

treatments work best for subgroups of the population, such as in the elderly or by gender or certain ethnic groups, he said. But the scope of recommended topics is broad, as you can see from the full list here . For those with less time, here are some of the other highlights in the IOM’s “first quartile” of projects: Surgical and medication treatments for atrial fibrillation School-based interventions targeting obesity such as meal programs, vending machines and gym class “Innovative” strategies for preventing pregnancies, such as over-the-counter access to oral contraceptives and free contraceptives at clinics and pharmacies Various interventions to treat ADHD in children, including cognitive behavior therapy, biofeedback, social kills, parent training and medication Different delivery models — like primary care, dental offices, schools — for preventing cavities in kids Photo: Carol M. Highsmith

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Candidates Aplenty for Spending on Comparative Effectiveness