The committee advising the Health and Human Services department on how it should spend its portion of the $1.1 billion for comparative effectiveness research included in the stimulus package has listed cost of care as a major factor to consider when determining what research ought to get done. That recommendation rejects testimony from industry and some patient advocacy groups (mostly industry-funded), who specifically called for eliminating cost as a factor when considering which technologies to evaluate. 

Here's the first of HHS' five proposed criteria:

1. Potential Impact (based on prevalence of condition, burden of disease, variability in outcomes, and costs of care)

The agency is seeking comment on its proposed criteria, which were listed on the agency's website this morning.