The $787 billion stimulus package signed by President Obama on Tuesday dedicates $1.1 billion for head-to-head research to determine which drugs, devices, and procedures are most effective and carry the lowest risk.

The money will be split between the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

The legislation also creates a board, called the Federal Coordinating Council for Comparative Clinical Effectiveness Research, to oversee and direct the studies, which will likely include literature reviews as well as independent trials.