At Empiric, our mission is to make clinical trials smarter and faster. Adaptive platform trials (APTs) are a powerful step forward, allowing multiple treatments to be tested simultaneously, saving time and resources, and accelerating access to breakthroughs. But to truly deliver on their promise, APTs must integrate economic evaluation alongside clinical evaluation.
Why Affordability Can’t Wait Until After the Trial
Traditionally, trials have focused on the question: does this treatment work? Health economics, if considered at all, often arrives later – sometimes years after a trial is complete. By then,policymakers and health systems are left playing catch-up, trying to decide whether a new treatment is affordable, scalable, and worth investing in.
This delay creates a critical gap. Patients and healthcare providers want to know
- Will this treatment not only improve outcomes, but also represent good value
- Can health systems realistically adopt a new treatment within the limited available resources?
- Does it align with society’s willingness to pay for improved health outcomes?
Smarter Trials, Smarter Decisions
Adaptive platform trials already enable decision-making as soon as sufficient evidence has been generated, dropping ineffective treatments and reallocating resources quickly. Adding economic endpoints in addition to clinical endpoints supercharges this capability:
- Better patient outcomes – Treatments that are both effective and cost-effective are prioritised.
- Faster access – Economic data supports timely decisions by regulators and payers, avoiding long delays before adoption.
- Efficient use of resources – Funders, providers, and governments can focus investment where it matters most.
Recent research has shown that while economic analysis alongside APTs is currently uncommon, it is both feasible and valuable. Interim cost-effectiveness analyses have already informed decisions to continue or discontinue trial arms – a glimpse of what’s possible when economics and clinical science move in step.
From Evidence to Real-World Impact
Empiric believes that every trial should aim to answer three questions simultaneously:
- Does it work?
- Is it safe?
- Is it worth it?
By embedding economic evaluation along side clinical evaluation, we can ensure that the treatments emerging from adaptive platform trials are not just scientifically sound, but also affordable,scalable, and ready to transform healthcare systems.
That’s how we accelerate not only the science of clinical trials but also their real-world impact – bringing smarter,faster, and more impactful solutions to the patients who need them most.
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