If your schedule’s tight, see you in the next Bulletin. If you have a moment, dive deeper.
Chris Skedgel, Director
Health economics and HTA: milestones and new directions
The theme to this month’s Bulletin could be: “a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step” (Lao Tzu, 4th century BCE). This is an apt description of the sometimes winding journey health economics has taken, from Kenneth Arrow’s early recognition that health and healthcare are special sorts of good, and that the existing tools of economics weren’t well suited to valuing or allocating health. From that early recognition of its distinct challenges, health economics has developed into an important branch of economics, with its own specialised toolbox.
An important part of this toolbox is Health Technology Assessment (HTA). In this month’s Bulletin, we highlight the latest instalment of our “Around the World in HTAs” series. Adam Raymakers and I describe Canada’s alphabet soup HTA journey from CCOHTA to CADTH, CDR and pERC, and now to CDA-AMC (you’ll have to read the blog to learn what these acronyms mean!). We find that Canada’s HTA journey has been one of increasing cooperation between CDA-AMC and other national HTA agencies, and between provinces, including between CDA-AMC and Quebec’s INESS.
As any journey can benefit from a good roadmap, we also highlight the BRAVER Roadmap to Broader Assessment of the Value of Health Interventions in the Asia-Pacific Region. This report argues that as countries in the Asia-Pacific region increasingly incorporate HTA into its decision-making, it will be important to take a societal perspective that can account for the costs and benefits of a disease or its treatment to society alongside the costs and benefits to patients and healthcare systems.
Why the APAC region needs to be “BRAVER”
The BRAVER Roadmap to Broader Assessment of the Value of Health Interventions in the Asia-Pacific Region
Adopting a societal perspective in HTA can help Asia-Pacific countries tackle ageing populations, chronic diseases, and health inequities. Our analysis shows readiness for change but highlights critical barriers, including methodological gaps and capacity limitations. The BRAVER framework offers a roadmap for policymakers to unlock these opportunities and drive innovation.
Around the World in HTAs: Canada – Autonomous yet Collaborative
Canadian HTA is at a crossroads. With new mandates, closer collaboration between provinces, and international cooperation with agencies like NICE and ICER, CDA-AMC is modernising its approach to evidence and value. Upcoming challenges, from assessing gene therapies to shaping a national Pharmacare strategy, will test the system’s ability to stay flexible while meeting the needs of patients and policymakers.
Incorporating the Patient Voice in Health Technology Assessment
Patients are the ones most affected by HTA decisions, yet their perspectives are often underrepresented. Our whitepaper makes the case for a more patient-centred approach, offering practical strategies for embedding patient evidence and values to make HTA decisions fairer, more informed, and more impactful.
How could policy developments in the US impact patients in Europe?
Graham Cookson spoke to POLITICO about how President Trump’s “most favored nation” drug pricing strategy could affect Europe, including potential delays in new drug launches across the EU.
