Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) has been proposed as appropriate methodology for supporting many key decisions in the drug lifecycle, including regulatory authorization, health technology assessment (HTA) and
prescription. The relevant decision criteria are different in these three settings: regulatory MCDAs are mostly concerned with assessing treatment benefit-risk profiles, prescription ones additionally consider convenience and patient satisfaction, and HTAs value cost and equity aspects. This presentation will question whether any single methodology can support decisions as diverse as these, but it will also argue for the value of MCDA as a
general framework for structuring comparative treatment assessments. I will demonstrate the use of MCDA in benefit-risk assessment, discuss flaws present in most applications of MCDA in HTA, and argue against application of MCDA in prescription setting.