Published Nov 2, 2016

Vienna, Austria—2 November 2016—The International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) held an issue panel this afternoon entitled, Using Observational (Real-World) Data in Health Technology Assessment: Route to Confusion or Better Decisions? The session took place at the Society’s 19th Annual European Congress in Vienna, Austria.  The issue panel was moderated by Sarah Garner, PhD, Associate Director of Science Policy and Research, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, London, UK. Panelists for the issue panel included:

• Mark Sculpher, PhD, Professor of Health Economics, Centre for Health Economics and Director, Programme on Economic Evaluation and Health Technology Assessment, University of York, Heslington, York, UK
• Keith R. Abrams, PhD, Professor of Medical Statistics, Department of Health Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
• Melvin “Skip” Olsen, Global Head of Health Economics and Outcomes Research Excellence, Novartis Pharmaceuticals

This session focused on the increasing use of real-world evidence to inform licensing decisions. Real-world data can offer a low-cost means of shortening the timeframe before a new medicine is available. The lack of randomization in these datasets, however, risks biased estimates of cost-effectiveness. Sarah Garner, PhD moderated the session, outlined the evolving policy landscape, and highlighted the opportunities offered by real-world data. Mark Sculpher, PhD delineated the risks associated with nonrandomized evidence. Keith R. Abrams, PhD outlined novel methods that can be used to facilitate reliable use of real-world evidence, particularly when randomized controlled trials are challenging to conduct. Melvin Olsen offered a manufacturer’s viewpoint and noted that appropriate use of real-world evidence can reduce the cost of drug development. Additional information on the ISPOR 19th Annual European Congress can be found here. Released presentations from the congress can be found here. Interested parties can follow news and developments from the conference on social media using the hashtag #ISPORVienna.

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