Applying Mendelian Randomization in Health Economics – Bridging Genomics and Cost-Effectiveness
The IHEA Econ-Omics Special Interest Group is pleased to invite you to a webinar with Professor Zanfina Ademi from Monash University and Dr Padraig Dixon from the University of Oxford exploring “Applying Mendelian Randomization in Health Economics – Bridging Genomics and Cost-Effectiveness”.
The webinar will take place from 8-9am UTC / 9-10am BST / 6-7pm AEDT on Tuesday 16 September.
Speakers:
Zanfina Ademi, Professor of Health Economics, Health Economics and Policy Evaluation Research (HEPER) Group, Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University. Dr Zanfina Ademi is a Professor of Health Economics and she leads the Health Economics and Policy Evaluation Research (HEPER) Group, Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University. Her research vision is to improve health and welfare and reduce inequities in society by using high-quality health economic evidence for decision-making. Her program of research centres around the health economics of prevention, population genomic screening, disease management and developing new health metrics such as Productivity Adjusted Life Years (PALY). She has worked in Australia, Finland and Switzerland, leading funded research projects that have provided evidence on effectiveness, cost-effectiveness and return on investment enabling key decision-makers (governments, payers) to enact effective healthcare funding across the world. She serves in several reputable national and international committees with translational impact, such as the Economics Sub-Committee (ESC) of Australia’s Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC).
Zanfina’s talk will cover how health economic models are essential for setting healthcare priorities and evaluating the financial value of interventions – particularly given the limitations of randomised clinical trials (RCTs). Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the leading cause of death globally, yet prevention efforts often begin too late. Long-term prevention studies are both costly and complex, making the use of real-world evidence—such as Mendelian randomisation—especially valuable. The health economic model for the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease (HEM-PPCVD) is designed to capture all relevant
costs and health outcomes of both existing and novel interventions. This approach allows for the early identification of at-risk individuals by incorporating the cumulative impact of modifiable risk factors, supported by estimations from Mendelian randomisation as a form of real-world evidence for decision-making—ultimately saving lives and improving access to preventive measures.
Padraig Dixon, Senior Researcher in Health Economics, Health Economics and Policy Evaluation Group, Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford | Research Director in Health Economics, Central and South Genomic Medicine Service Alliance | Research Fellow in Values and Society, Reuben College, University of Oxford.
Dr Padraig Dixon is a health economist whose research explores the economic implications of genetic data, with a focus on causal inference, screening, and evaluating the cost-effectiveness of stratified therapies. His work spans multiple disease areas – including cancer, cardiovascular disease, and dementia – as well as traits, behaviours, and interventions such as pharmacogenetics. He holds degrees in Economics from Trinity College, Dublin and Nuffield College, University of Oxford, and in Health Economics from the University of York.
Padraig’s talk will present a novel method for estimating the long-term cost-effectiveness of health interventions without relying on randomized controlled trials or traditional cohort simulation models. Using Mendelian Randomization (in which genetic variants are used as instrumental variables), new causal estimates of the impact of genetic liability to eight cancers on healthcare costs and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) were generated. These estimates informed a simulation assessing the cost-effectiveness of a hypothetical, population-wide prostate cancer prevention strategy using repurposed SGLT2 inhibitors. Genetic liability to prostate and breast cancer had substantial effects on health economic outcomes, while results for rarer cancers were more uncertain. SGLT2 inhibitors were unlikely to be cost-effective for prostate cancer prevention at current drug prices. This approach offers a fast and flexible framework for evaluating intervention value, which is likely to be particularly useful in early-stage decision-making and when trial data are limited.
We hope to see you there!