NICE, ICER and Canada’s Drug Agency launch international initiative to advance HTA methodologies

The Health Economics Methods Advisory (HEMA) will bring together global experts to evaluate and refine health technology assessment (HTA) methods through independent research, evidence-based guidance, and educational initiatives.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER), and Canada’s Drug Agency (CDA-AMC) have jointly announced the launch of HEMA, an international initiative focused on advancing HTA methodologies through independent research.

This collaboration aims to critically examine key topics in health economics, bringing together researchers, academics, and experts in HTA methods. HEMA’s key objectives include:

• Assessing HTA methodologies – Investigating the strengths, weaknesses, and uncertainties of existing health economic methods through empirical studies and case analyses.
• Providing evidence-based guidance – Developing recommendations for refining and applying HTA methodologies to ensure transparency and effectiveness in decision-making.
• Publishing research and educational resources – Producing white papers, peer-reviewed articles, and hosting workshops and webinars to disseminate findings to the global HTA community.

“This partnership…demonstrates our commitment to working with international experts to improve healthcare decision-making,” NICE stated.

In their statement, ICER’s Chief Scientific Officer and Director of Health Technology Assessment Methods and Engagement, Dan Ollendorf, PhD, MPH, commented,

“Through this international collaboration, we are looking forward to examining the benefits and disadvantages of new methods in health economics and HTA. There is a need for independent research that can not only critically examine these topics but also assess their feasibility and practicality in HTA settings.”

HEMA will be led by a working group of leading academic experts, with Mark Sculpher, PhD, Professor of Health Economics at the University of York and Director of the Centre for Health Economics, at the helm. Other notable members of the working group include Sean Sullivan (The CHOICE [Comparative Health Outcomes, Policy and Economics] Institute at the University of Washington, USA), Lotte Steuten (Office of Health Economics [OHE], UK) and Kednapa Thavorn (Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Canada). A Steering Committee comprising patient representatives, payers, and life sciences professionals from the UK, US, and Canada will guide the selection and prioritization of research areas.

Noting the significance of HEMA’s formation, Schulpher said:

“HEMA includes methodologists, patients, industry, policy experts, and researchers dedicated to improving our understanding of alternative methods use to assess the cost-effectiveness of interventions to support decision-making processes within the context of HTA. This initiative intentionally includes individuals with a diversity of research experience, viewpoints, and geographic locations across UK, Canada, and US, We look forward to the prospect of having our work inform guidance that the international HTA community can integrate and adapt to their local context.”