Session (CTI)

PURPOSE: To examine how health technology assessment (HTA) must evolve to support decision-making for emerging health technologies by highlighting Thailand’s experience, exploring international innovations, and identifying practical strategies for adaptive HTA in Thailand and the Asia-Pacific region.
DESCRIPTION: Over the past four decades, health technology assessment (HTA) has developed from a specialized academic activity into a central tool for evidence-informed decision making across Asia-Pacific. However, several innovative technologies that are increasingly reaching decision makers, such as one-time gene and cell therapies, AI-enabled diagnostics, digital therapeutics, and precision medicine, do not fit the foundational assumptions on which HTA was built. These assumptions include stable patient populations, repeated dosing, mature evidence from RCTs, and predictable annual budgets. As these innovations become increasingly available, the key question is no longer whether to implement HTA, but how HTA should adapt to remain fit for purpose with new and emerging technologies.
Speaker 1 (10 minutes): Highlights how Thailand built one of Asia’s leading HTA systems and the key policy, institutional, and methodological factors that enabled HTA to become an integral part of health policy decision-making.
Speaker 2 (15 minutes): Examines how emerging technologies are challenging the assumptions underpinning conventional HTA approaches and explores the implications for future healthcare decision-making.
Speaker 3 (15 minutes): Explores international strategies, including outcomes-based agreements, installment-style payments, and lifecycle approaches that revisit decisions as real-world evidence evolves, while considering their relevance and applicability to Thailand and the broader Asia-Pacific region.
Discussion (15 minutes): A moderated discussion will synthesize lessons from Thailand and international experience to identify practical priorities for adapting HTA in the Asia-Pacific region.
Stakeholders: Policymakers, HTA researchers, regulators, Ministry of Health officials, payers, and market-access professionals will benefit from attending, gaining both regional insights and actionable strategies.