Published Oct 17, 2016

Congress Scheduled for 29 October-2 November 2016 in Vienna Princeton, NJ—October 17, 2016—The International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) announced confirmation of the scientific sessions for its 19th Annual European Congress that will begin next week, 29 October-2 November 2016 in Vienna, Austria. Key sessions will focus on the congress theme, Managing Access to Medical Innovation: Strengthening the Methodology-Policy Nexus. Plenary #1: What Synergies Could Be Created Between Regulatory and Health Technology Assessments? (Monday, 31 October 2016) This session explores the potential synergies that could be created in the work and processes of regulators and health technology assessment (HTA) bodies, while acknowledging the issues in the European Union health sector ecosystem that need to be addressed. Speakers will examine the different roles regulators, health care payers, and patient groups play as they often rely on the same scientific data about new therapies and share the goal of enabling patients’ access to beneficial medications. Plenary speakers include:

• Moderator: Hans-Georg Eichler, MD, MSc, Senior Medical Officer, European Medicines Agency (EMA), London, UK
• Guido Rasi, Executive Director, European Medicines Agency, London, UK
• Wim Goettsch, PhD, Secretariat Director, EUnetHTA JA3, Diemen, The Netherlands
• Andrzej Rys, Director, Health Systems, Medical Products and Innovation, European Commission, Brussels, Belgium
• Jens Grueger, PhD, Vice President and Head of Global Pricing and Market Access, F. Hoffmann-LaRoche, Basel, Switzerland

  Plenary #2: Differential Pricing of Medicines in Europe: Implications for Access, Innovation, and Affordability (Tuesday, 1 November 2016) European Union laws support the free movement of goods, making it difficult to maintain different prices in different countries. However, health economists have long argued that differential pricing for medicines across countries could improve global dynamic efficiency. This plenary will explore options for a defined and systematic approach to promoting efficient differential pricing in Europe. Speakers for this session include:

• Moderator: Lou Garrison, PhD, Professor, Pharmaceutical Outcomes Research and Policy Program, School of Pharmacy, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
• Sabine Vogler, PhD, Program Coordinator, Pharmacoeconomics and Pharmaceutical Policy Analysis, Head of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Pharmaceutical Pricing and Reimbursement Policies, Gesundheit Österreich GmbH (GÖG/Austrian Public Health Institute), Vienna, Austria
• Jo De Cock, Chief Executive Officer, National Institute of Health and Disability Insurance, Brussels, Belgium
• Elias Mossialos, BSc, MD, PhD, Brian Abel-Smith Professor of Health Policy, Department of Social Policy, London School of Economics and Political Science, London, UK
• Adrian Towse, MA, MPhil, Director, Office of Health Economics, London, UK

  Plenary #3: How to Control Costs and Improve Access to Medicines: Lessons from the InterQuality Project (Wednesday, 2 November 2016) This plenary will focus on important themes emerging from the InterQuality Project—the international research project on financing quality in health care. Speakers will examine a number of findings, including the importance of equity of access to health services and medicines, how patients’ preferences can be integrated into HTA, and how innovative analytical methods and e-health tools are promoted by many EU member states yet are not part of an integrated package. Speakers for this session include:

• Moderator: Tomasz Hermanowski, PhD, InterQuality Project Leader and Professor and Head, Department of Pharmacoeconomics, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
• Anna Zawada, MSc, Director, Transparency and Tariff Councils Office, Agency for Health Technology Assessment and Tariff System, Warsaw, Poland
• Joanna Lis, MSc, MBA, PhD, Director, Market Access, Sanofi-Aventis, Warsaw, Poland
• Axel Muehlbacher, PhD, Professor, Neubrandenburg University, Neubrandenburg, Germany
• Brian K. Solow, MD, Chief Medical Officer, Optum Life Sciences, Irvine, CA, USA

Registration for the ISPOR 19th Annual European Congress is open throughout the conference. In addition to the three plenaries, the congress will feature 21 issue panels, 33 workshops, 13 forums, and a wide variety of podium  and poster presentations. The ISPOR Short Course Program will be offered immediately prior to the conference on 29-30 October 2016 providing 31 courses over seven tracks that range from introductory to advanced levels of study. Additional information on the congress can be found here.

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