Panel Explores Issue of Real-World Evidence to Inform Health Policies for Medical Devices

Published May 24, 2017
Boston, MA—May 24, 2017—The International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) held an afternoon session at its 22nd Annual International Meeting in Boston, MA, USA that explored the use of real-world evidence to help inform health policies for medical devices. The issue panel session, Use of Real-World Evidence to Shape Health Policies for Medical Devices [IP21], was moderated by Rosanna Tarricone, PhD, Associate Dean, Government and Health Division, SDA Bocconi, Director, Centre for Research on Health and Social Care Management, Associate Professor, Department of Policy Analysis and Public Management, Bocconi University, Milan, Italy. Panelists included:
  • Patrizio Armeni, MSc, Researcher, Cergas and SDA Bocconi, Bocconi University, Milan, Italy
  • Sebastian Schneeweiss, MD, ScD, Professor of Medicine, Division of Pharmacoepidemiology and Pharmacoeconomics, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
  • Richard Charter, MSc, Head of Market Access and Pricing Diabetes Care Europe, Becton Dickinson AG, Allschwil, Switzerland
Real-world studies are becoming a valuable source of clinical evidence. The use of real-world evidence for the assessment of medical devices, however, is often viewed with skepticism in the absence of experimental evidence. This session explored how and to what extent real-world studies can provide relevant evidence to decision makers. Rosanna Tarricone, PhD provided an overview of the issues, highlighting some of the varying perspectives. Patrizio Armeni, MSc discussed the paradox that exists between the logical order of decisions and the fact that real-world evidence could be available much sooner than randomized controlled trials. Sebastian Schneeweiss, MD, ScD addressed the concerns over the quality and diffusion of real-world evidence and presented a scientific, critical perspective on the role of real-world evidence as source of information for adoption and reimbursement decisions. Richard Charter, MSc discussed the current uncertainty faced by medical device companies when planning the generation of evidence to be submitted to regulators and payers.  Additional information on the ISPOR 22nd Annual International Meeting can be found here. Released presentations from the conference can be found here. Interested parties can follow news at ISPOR’s press site and on social media using the conference hashtag #ISPORBoston.

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  ABOUT ISPOR The International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) is a nonprofit, international, educational and scientific organization that promotes health economics and outcomes research excellence to improve decision making for health globally. Web: www.ispor.org | LinkedIn: http://bit.ly/ISPOR-LIn | Twitter: http://bit.ly/ISPOR-T (@ISPORorg) | YouTube: http://bit.ly/ISPOR-YT | Facebook: http://bit.ly/ISPOR-FB    

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