Society’s Comments Emphasize Need for Ongoing
Collaboration and Observation of HTA Good Practices
Princeton, NJ—January 24, 2017—The International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (
ISPOR) has submitted comments in response to the
European Commission’s request for
public consultation regarding the issue of European Union (EU) cooperation on health technology assessment (HTA). ISPOR formulated its response with input from and on behalf of its members. The European Commission has requested input regarding the future of this initiative following the conclusion of
EUnetHTA Joint Action 3 in 2020 that seeks to define and implement a sustainable model for the scientific and technical cooperation on HTA in Europe. Under consideration are options for the establishment of a permanent EU structure for voluntary or mandatory cooperation in the production and utilization of joint HTA reports.
In summary, ISPOR’s comments emphasize that ongoing EU collaboration after 2020 will still be necessary to continue the efforts of EUnetHTA’s Joint Action 3 and to help adapt to scientific advances and changing societal needs. While the Joint Actions have helped to create greater consistency across the EU Member States’ approaches to HTA, ISPOR believes that considerable differences still exist between the EU countries’ deployment of HTA.
ISPOR’s comments noted that several HTA good practices can be more effectively utilized by the Member States. To facilitate and inform this process, the Society has published more than 60 member-driven
Good Practices for Outcomes Research Task Force Reports on HTA-relevant topics. ISPOR believes that fostering awareness of and observance to best practices in outcomes research and HTA is in the best interest of both individual patient populations and society as a whole. The full text of ISPOR’s response can be found
here. Additionally, all public responses will ultimately be made available on the European Commission’s public consultation
website.
The Society’s comments were formulated through considerable member input. Using a subset of the full questionnaire used by the EU for the public consultation, ISPOR fielded an online survey of its members to generate input on this important issue. The survey generated robust responses representing all sectors of the Society’s membership, with a slightly higher response from European-based members. ISPOR collaborated with four of its
councils (i.e., Health Science Policy Council, Health Technology Assessment Council, Institutional Council, and Faculty Advisor Council) to coordinate member input and develop the Society’s formal response.
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