NICE reports that the international collaboration among six health technology assessment (HTA) bodies across the UK, Australia, and Canada has grown with the addition of two more HTA organisations: Institut national d’excellence en santé et en services sociaux (INESSS) in Quebec and Pharmac in New Zealand. This expansion will extend the group’s impact to benefit over 134 million people.
Established in 2021, the collaboration now comprises the following members:
- National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)
- Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health (CADTH)
- Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care
- Healthcare Improvement Scotland (comprising the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) and Scottish Health Technologies Group (SHTG))
- Health Technology Wales (HTW)
- All Wales Therapeutics & Toxicology Centre (AWTTC)
- Institut national d’excellence en santé et en services sociaux (INESSS)
- Pharmac, New Zealand
The collaboration’s aim is to foster partnerships with international HTA bodies, promoting the shared exchange of insights and experiences to enhance HTA globally. Work in 3 areas has been prioritised for 2023/2024:
1. Work Sharing: Exploring work-sharing feasibility for pharmaceuticals and health technologies assessments, aligning HTA processes, and sharing information on non-pharmaceutical tech assessments.
2. Horizon Scanning: Collaboratively identifying and preparing for health system opportunities and challenges.
3. Science and Methods Development: Flexible collaboration in science and methods, fostering awareness of ongoing projects, and initiating joint projects arising from work sharing and forward scanning activities.
The current joint projects include:
- Methodological guidance and a new joint scientific advice procedure on the use of surrogate outcomes when analysing cost-effectiveness
- Use of whole disease modelling in HTA
- Cooperative work developing a digital evaluation framework
- NICE-CADTH scientific advice
Sources:
- NICE. International health technology assessment collaboration expands. Available at: https://www.nice.org.uk/news/article/international-health-technology-assessment-collaboration-expands