Session (CTI)

ISSUE: European health systems consistently state that prevention is a priority, yet funding and evaluation arrangements historically prioritise treating disease. Prevention interventions generate benefits over long time horizons across sectors. Benefits may not be fully recognised within existing HTA and funding structures, which typically assess value based on direct patient outcomes and within annual spending cycles. Citizens also undervalue prevention, limiting uptake of preventive services. This panel will examine the drivers of underinvestment in prevention and debate how HTA methods, policy and funding arrangements should evolve to realise the long-term, cross-sector and societal value of preventive interventions. OVERVIEW: Eleanor Thurtle will highlight dissonance between European commitments to disease prevention, limited funding dedicated to preventive care, and the continuing clinical and economic burden of preventable illness. Eleanor will argue that conceptual and structural shifts in HTA and health funding systems are required to incentivise investment (10 minutes). Grace Hampson will discuss the economics of prevention, including challenges associated with economic evaluation, funding, and adoption of preventive health interventions, followed by opportunities to promote investment and uptake through innovative financing. Professor Rosanna Tarricone will argue that overcoming behavioural and practical barriers to the uptake of preventive services requires health systems to treat prevention as a long-term investment, incentives that inform citizens of the wider consequences of individual behaviour, and partnerships between public institutions and industry to support prevention programmes. James Jarrett will discuss HIV prevention as a case study to examine how challenges in HTA evaluation, service delivery and implementation affect uptake and shape industry decisions about investment in preventive interventions. Each panellist will present for approximately 10 minutes, followed by 10 minutes of structured cross-panellist debate and 10 minutes of audience discussion. The session will be of particular relevance to healthcare policy-makers, HTA practitioners, payers, patient advocates, and market access professionals.