such plan, the Secretary shall reward value, increase appropriate use of drugs, and ensure patient safety and access to medications. (2) Role of AHRQ The Director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, in coordination with the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, shall be responsible for assessing the clinical benefit of covered part D drugs and making recommendations to the Secretary regarding the negotiated prices of covered drugs and any appropriate tiering or incentive strategies under the plan. In conducting such assessments and making such recommendations, the Director shall carry out the following activities: (A) Consider the comparable international price of such drugs based upon the median retail list price of such drug (which shall be, as practicable, the volume-weighted price for comparable units and dosage forms) among a category of at least the following peer reference countries: Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Japan, Australia, and Germany. (B) Consider safety concerns and post-market data, including those identified by the Food and Drug Administration and from national health registries. (C) Use available data and evaluations, including from research supported by the National Institutes of Health, with priority given to randomized controlled trials, to examine clinical effectiveness, comparative effectiveness, safety, and enhanced compliance with a drug regimen. (D) Use the same classes of drugs developed by United States Pharmacopeia for this part. (E) Consider evaluations made by— (i) the Director under section 1013 of the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003