Stakeholders’ preferences at moments of decision throughout the medicine lifecycle

A medicine receives an extensive process of development and evaluation before it becomes available in clinical practice, which involves various decisions to be made throughout the medicine lifecycle. The individuals and stakeholders involved in the decisions may have diverse perspectives and preferences towards the options available. This thesis aims at examining stakeholder’s preferences and factors influencing their preferences at different moments of the medicine lifecycle.

The various studies explore the beliefs of pregnant women in relation to the use of medication for chronic disease during pregnancy; the preferences of individuals regarding hypothetical treatments for Alzheimer's disease; the preferences of patients with type 2 diabetes in the Netherlands and Turkey; the preferences of medicine regulators regarding the need to communicate certain safety issues; and the perspectives of patients with type 2 diabetes about the use of a decision aid at the time of choosing among their treatment options. The general findings show that preferences are influenced by various factors, such as beliefs about medicines, risk perception, gender, age, or country. This may result, for instance, in heterogeneity in risk acceptance or country-specific differences in medicine acceptability. The overarching theme underscores the relevance of recognizing preference heterogeneity at moments of decision throughout the medicine lifecycle, and the importance of incorporating the diverse perspectives in the decision-making.