In short:
The Commission brings together international experts in clinical medicine, health economics, biostatistics, ethics, priority setting, and implementation science. Commissioners also include leaders of major national precision health initiatives and experts in community engagement and equity.
"Health systems globally are under increasing pressure, particularly from chronic diseases that require long-term management and substantial resources. Therefore, the Commission will address the urgent need for innovation in healthcare systems.
“With progressively ageing populations worldwide, people are living longer with chronic disease, which is placing an enormous burden on healthcare systems”, says Professor Paul Franks. “Contemporary healthcare relies on prescribing treatments based on what’s known about their average effects. While many medicines are broadly effective, they do not work equally well for everyone, wasting resources and ensuring that many patients to not meaningfully benefit. The challenge is to design health systems that work for everyone, even people who don’t fit the average model.”
Precision health seeks to move beyond a one-size-fits-all paradigm. Rather than treating variation in treatment response only as statistical noise, it aims to identify clinically meaningful variations between people and translate this information into actionable and personalised decision support.
Professor Paul Franks argues that the Commission will challenge the prevailing perception that precision healthcare is inherently expensive and only relevant to high-income settings.
“There is a misconception that precision medicine is very expensive and only suitable for high-income healthcare settings. That is true if you have a very narrow definition and view it through the lens of what is currently practiced in Western healthcare systems.”
The Commission will explore how stratified approaches could improve cost-effectiveness, including in low- and middle-income countries, by targeting interventions to those most likely to benefit.
Five working groups have been established:
The Commission formally commenced its work in January 2026 and will meet regularly over the coming years. A series of international meetings will culminate in a final report to be published in The Lancet, followed by a global launch event.
“We anticipate that the Commission’s recommendations will help enhance contemporary healthcare systems, while also reimaging how healthcare works to ensure more sustainable, fairer, and effective healthcare in the future” says Professor Paul Franks.
The Lancet