ISPOR in Asia

On September 8, 2008, Professor Bong-Min Yang PhD, of the Seoul National University School of Public Health and Program Chair of the 3rd ISPOR Asia-Pacific Conference, welcomed conference participants with an invitation to “learn from each other, and to join together sharing what we believe is important and necessary for our society and the globe.” That is exactly what transpired.

A record number of more than 800 participants came from around the globe to Seoul, South Korea for the conference, focused on “Evidence-based Health Care Decision Making in Asia-Pacific: The Application of Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research. Thirty-seven countries were represented; about half in Asia. The largest contingent came from South Korea. This reflected in great part the increasing importance and growth of our field in this country in terms of both research and its use in policy decisions, as noted below. The next largest contingent arrived from Thailand - which will host the ISPOR 4th Asia- Pacific Conference in 2010 in Phuket, Thailand. China was also extremely well represented among attendees, as was Japan. What was equally dramatic was the active participation of representatives from countries that had not previously attended ISPOR conferences or been involved in ISPOR activities. At this conference however, they featured prominently among the speakers, presenting progress and obstacles in such countries as India, Malaysia, Pakistan and Philippines. This conference confirmed that the growth of ISPOR to 96 countries (and counting) very prominently includes the countries of Asia.

Notably, the conference brought together researchers with government policy-makers more prominently than previous ISPOR conferences. In Seoul, policy-makers and policy-influencers were well represented among presenters of the plenary sessions as well as throughout the conference on issue panels, workshops and research presentations. The ensuing presentations and discussions highlighted the progress made throughout Asia in raising the level of attention - theoretical and practical - given to pharmacoeconomics and outcomes research, as well as to the challenges and opportunities for the years ahead.

The first plenary session highlighted evidencebased decision-making across Asia providing comparisons and contrasts in rapidly changing health care systems (South Korea, Thailand, and Taiwan), moderately changing systems (China, Japan and Singapore), and gradually changing systems (India, Malaysia, Pakistan and Philippines).

In the second plenary session, speakers from Taiwan and South Korea joined representatives from Europe (Denmark) and North America (Canada) to describe current and recent progress in developing evidence using health technology assessment, and in applying it to decisions to approve and/or reimburse new and existing medical technologies, especially new drugs. This session was further evidence that the interaction among those focused on health technology assessment for government decision-making was indeed global and not restricted by geography. The third plenary session focused on developing and implementing pharmacoeconomic guidelines for reimbursement of medical technology, again particularly pharmaceuticals. Whereas Australia was the first (in 1987) to require consideration of comparative costs and effectiveness for reimbursement, South Korea recently became the first Asian country to implement such a system. Although 20 years passed between Australia's approval of such policies and South Korea's, the time to the next country's adoption will most assuredly be much shorter. More importantly, it will be done with more information and therefore greater knowledge of what is working and what is not working, and why.

Across each of these important, well-attended sessions, certain key messages were offered and reinforced repeatedly:

• Pharmacoeconomics and outcomes research are truly global in importance. This globalization is manifested in multiple ways. Governmental authorities in nations across Asia and indeed around the world are sharing what is working and what is not with each other. Academic and other research organizations are playing an important role in both knowledge transfer and in the implementation of new government policies as well.
• Pharmacoeconomics and outcomes research are not merely academic exercises. It is certainly the case that attention has been and is being paid throughout Asia to methodological advancements. However, these advances are playing a role in the increased recognition of their value in moving forward health technology assessment and evidencebased medicine as well. Ultimately, the integration of science with policy is acknowledged as critical for improving the public's health.
• At the same time, infrastructure needs are well recognized. It is notable that many ISPOR Asia leaders are professors affiliated with academic institutions, and serve important advisory roles to governmental officials responsible for health care policy. These professors are intent on growing the human capital and the knowledge base both for conducting pharmacoeconomics and outcomes research, and for using it in national and local decision making. At the same time, there is a realization that continued expansion of our field also depends on more and better data. There is a dire need for more data to be collected on an ongoing basis to facilitate greater understanding of basic disease epidemiology, as well as treatment patterns and outcomes.

Along with those major Plenary Sessions, the ISPOR 3rd Asia-Pacific Conference featured 60 podium presentations, 182 poster presentations, 13 workshops, 5 issue panels, and 12 short courses. In addition, the ISPOR Asia-Pacific Medical Device and Diagnostics Council sponsored a forum, and there were 6 other sponsored educational symposia.

ISPOR President Chris Pashos (l) and Program Chair Bong-Ming Yang PhD

Overall, the 3rd ISPOR Asia-Pacific Conference showcased the vibrancy and strength of the ISPOR Asia Consortium. Currently chaired by Professor Shanlian Hu, MD, MSc, of the Fudan University School of Public Health in Shanghai, China, the Asia Consortium is comprised of an executive committee and an advisory committee. The executive committee has representatives, primarily from academia and governments, from China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, and Thailand. It works collaboratively with the consortium advisory committee comprised of members in academia, the medical technology industry, and research organizations both in Asia and around the world. In 4 short years since its creation in 2004, the Consortium has achieved much in becoming the professional home for researchers, health care practitioners, decision makers and medical technology leaders dedicated to furthering the science and the use of pharmacoeconomics and outcomes research to promote access to appropriate utilization of health care resources.

The success of the ISPOR Asia Consortium in general and the ISPOR 3rd Asia-Pacific Conference in particular confirm the global importance of our field. I invite you to become familiar with the developments in Asia, and to learn from Asian successes and continuing challenges. Whereas researchers and policy makers may already be familiar with organizations such as NICE, IQWiG, PBAC and CADTH, be prepared to learn about what is happening with HIRA in South Korea, and be attentive as well to developments throughout Asia.

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