Presentation (CTI)

OBJECTIVES: By summarising the use of unanchored Indirect Treatment Comparisons (ITCs) used in Single Technology Appraisals (STAs) submitted to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). We were able to gain an understanding when unanchored comparisons are used, and what characteristics of these analyses made them successful.
METHODS: Data from each NICE appraisal were extracted from committee papers published between 1^st January 2024 and 1^st April 2026. Appraisals were excluded if they did not present any discussion of an ITC, were not STAs, or were terminated. Analysed studies used an unanchored comparison as the primary ITC method. The treatment, therapeutic area, presented pivotal study type, comparator data (for the ITC), and ITC method used were extracted from each STA, along with any comments made on the analysis.
RESULTS: Of 204 appraisals screened, 114 (55.88%) were excluded per the exclusion criteria. 28 appraisals were found to use an unanchored comparison as the base-case ITC. Only one TA used an unanchored Simulated Treatment Comparison (STC) as the primary ITC method, with 27 using unanchored Matching Adjusted Indirect Comparisons (MAICs).
CONCLUSIONS: Unanchored ITCs remain prevalent in NICE submissions. Indeed, unanchored MAIC was considerably more common than STC. This may be due to the current lack of a robust method for using STC with Time-To-Event outcomes.