PURPOSE: This workshop will outline the challenges faced by health technology assessment (HTA) agencies when assessing treatments and diagnostics for COVID-19, and the role of HTA as healthcare systems begin to recover from the pandemic. Attendees should gain insight into the key difficulties and the potential utility of interim HTA methods.

DESCRIPTION: In the early phase of the pandemic, HTA took a back seat as policymakers prioritised speed in their response to the crisis. As transmission falls and more technologies for COVID-19 enter the market, HTA agencies are starting to be tasked with assessing their value. However, these assessments are proving to be challenging.

The Innovation of HTA Methods (IHTAM) Framework has been developed as part of the Horizon2020 funded project HTx (Next Generation Health Technology Assessment). We sought to follow IHTAM to develop best-practice guidance for assessing COVID-19 technologies during the pandemic recovery phase. First, we conducted a survey and subsequent roundtable workshop with representatives from global HTA agencies, to understand the challenges faced when assessing COVID-19 technologies and identify the case for interim guidance.

In this workshop, Wim Goettsch will introduce the IHTAM Framework and its application in the context of COVID-19 (8 min.). Jamie Elvidge will present findings from the survey and roundtable workshop, outlining the challenges for HTA agencies when assessing COVID-19 technologies (10 min.). Roisin Adams will elaborate on key challenges from an HTA agency’s perspective (10 min.). Nicola Trevor will provide an industry view on challenges in demonstrating the value of COVID-19 technologies (10 min.). Jamie Elvidge will then consider the evolving role of HTA as the pandemic situation changes over time and where interim methods may be useful (5 min.). Finally, there will be audience Q&A including interactive polling (17 min.).

This workshop will be of interest to all stakeholders involved in HTA.