OBJECTIVES: Health technology assessment (HTA) agencies apply different importance to different aspects of HTA submissions. It is therefore difficult to draw generalizable conclusions about the factors influencing subsequent recommendations. Previous studies have tried to identify country-specific factors, but there were different techniques and parameters applied. The aim of this literature review is therefore to collate all parameters used in previous research in order to inform research into the predictive factors for HTA recommendations. METHODS: A systematic literature review was performed using PubMed. Examples of search terms used are “success”, “HTA” and “recommendation”. The time span was from 2004 to 2015. The studies differed in terms of methods used, parameters used and research questions. After the quality of the articles was assessed, the evidence provided in the literature was summarized and the findings were interpreted. The parameters analysed in the studies were compared taking into account country-specific requirements. RESULTS: Out of sixteen articles identified, most studies evaluated NICE (six studies), followed by PBAC (four studies). The remaining studies evaluated different countries. A total of 111 parameters were identified, which were grouped in three categories: clinical, economic and societal factors. The predictive clinical factors showed some regularity explaining the HTA recommendation. Drug superiority, RCTs and the number of comparators were reoccurring explanatory variables. Economic factors showed most consistency among the studies. For NICE, cost-effectiveness proved to be an explanatory factor in all studies. Societal parameters were identified less often as explanatory factors, but included the burden of illness and company size. CONCLUSIONS: Many parameters have been used in previous research to explain the HTA decision, but there is no agreement yet on the driving parameters explaining the HTA-decision per agency. Hardly any study investigated an agency different than NICE or PBAC, which indicates that there is a knowledge gap for other agencies.