OBJECTIVES: The HTA-collaboration FINOSE’s joint assessments of pharmaceuticals are designed to inform the priority decision processes in some of the Nordic countries (Finland, Norway and Sweden), with decision making at the national level in the individual countries. One of the key aims of FINOSE is to support timely access to pharmaceuticals in the Nordics. Our research aims at analyzing time from marketing authoriZation (MA) to recommendation/reimbursement decision by national HTA bodies for the pharmaceuticals evaluated within the FINOSE process. We have also looked at the outcomes of the corresponding assessments in all countries.

METHODS: Dates for MAs, the FINOSE assessments and the recommendation/reimbursement decisions by national HTA bodies were extracted from publicly available sources, together with final national recommendations/reimbursement decisions. For comparison, standard time from MA to reimbursement in each country was extracted.

RESULTS: From the end of 2018 to 2022, Tecentriq, Xtandi, Zynteglo and Libmeldy, were assessed by FINOSE. The goal of 90 days processing time (from submission to publication of assessment report) was not met, with a mean processing time at around 200 days. Average time to market varied across the Nordics, Sweden with a mean of 569 days to market (standard time 791 days) and Norway with a mean of 660 days to market (standard time 700 days). In Finland, a national recommendation had only been issued for one of the four pharmaceuticals, at 769 days after MA (standard time 822 days). Nine of twelve possible recommendations were available in the three countries, only two of these recommendations were positive (both for Libmeldy).

CONCLUSIONS: Overall, time to market in the Nordics is faster for pharmaceutical products going through FINOSE. However, the goal of 90 days processing time is not met and the current mean processing time is more than double. Outcomes of the assessments were same across the three countries.