Understanding What Matters: Stakeholder Views on Decision Criteria for Cancer Drug Selection in the Public Sector in Malaysia

This study aimed to determine stakeholders’ decision criteria preferences for formulary decisions of cancer drugs in the Ministry of Health. The secondary objective was to identify the outcome measures of interest for assessment of clinical benefits for cancer drugs. A survey questionnaire was administered online and as hard copy using purposive sampling to 32 healthcare facilities providing cancer services and the Formulary Management Branch in the Ministry of Health. Respondents reported whether a criterion “will be considered” and weighted its relative importance on a 5-point scale. The choice of safety and efficacy/effectiveness outcomes were ranked from 1 to 5, and the minimum value of benefit for the efficacy/effectiveness outcome ranked 1 was provided. Trade-offs between survival and quality of life were also explored. Inferential statistics were used to explore difference in responses. A total of 316 healthcare professionals responded to the survey. The most important criteria for value assessment of cancer drug were safety and effectiveness. Other criteria deemed important were quality of evidence, disease severity, and patient-reported outcomes. There was no difference in the criteria preference and weights across the various respondent groups. Overall survival was the most preferred clinical benefit outcome. Overall, willingness to pay was higher for life-prolonging treatment than treatment that improved quality of life. This study revealed that a wide range of criteria beyond the traditional decision-making criteria of efficacy, safety, and cost-effectiveness are important for value assessment of cancer drugs for the purpose of formulary decisions. •Decision criteria are the core component in a multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA) framework. Malaysia has recognized the potential for use of MCDA in healthcare decision making. Thus, this study aimed to identify decision criteria preference specific for value assessment of cancer drugs among multistakeholder groups in the public sector in Malaysia.•This research is the first step toward understanding the need and defining the criteria necessary for developing the first national MCDA framework for formulary decisions of cancer drugs in a middle-income country.•Current literature on decision criteria and use of MCDA for value assessment is limited to developed countries. This study is relevant for developing value assessment framework for cancer drugs using MCDA especially in the Asian region.