Can Health Economics Lead to Better Biotech? A Conversation with Rob Abbott

Rob Abbott, CEO of ISPOR, joins Perspectives to talk about why health economics and outcomes research (HEOR) has become more relevant for biotech founders, executives, and investors. The conversation challenges the common perception that HEOR is primarily a post-approval exercise used to support pricing and reimbursement. Instead, Rob discusses how evidence generation, economic modeling, and value strategy can shape clinical development, inform investment decisions, and strengthen the commercial potential of new therapies. The episode concludes with a discussion of ISPOR's Healthcare Investment Summit that will be held in September 2026 and will convene investors, drug developers, and value strategists to translate HEOR into early-stage investment decisions and drug development.

Topics discussed include:

• Two HEOR activities biotech companies should do before Phase III
• Four questions investors can ask management teams to gauge commercial opportunity
• Novel applications of HEOR and their usefulness for biotech executives and investors
• ISPOR's Healthcare Investment Summit and what biotech leaders and investors might get out of attending

Show links:  https://www.ispor.org/conferences-education/conferences/upcoming-conferences/ispor-healthcare-investment-summit-2026