EUnetHTA - European network for Health Technology Assessment

Duration: 6/2016-5/2021

Publications: Available at EUnetHTA website – http://www.eunethta.eu

Background: Redundancies in the preparation of HTAs on pharmaceuticals and medical devices occur throughout Europe due to the often-simultaneous need for information by national decision-makers. In order to enable a more efficient way of working, a transnational harmonization of methods and instruments for the preparation of reports (e.g. methodological guidelines, standardized report templates) as well as the development of a common infrastructure (e.g. a project database, communication tools) and common quality standards are needed.

Since 2006, the EU project EUnetHTA aims at sustainably stimulating European cooperation and information exchange in the field of HTA: in one EU project (EUnetHTA 2006-2008) and 3 Joint Actions (Joint Action 1: 2010-2012, Joint Action 2: 2012-2015, Joint Action 3: 2016-2021) with about 80 participating HTA organizations from EU and EFTA countries, processes and tools were developed to reduce redundancies in EU-wide HTA production.

Objectives and Methods: Joint Action 3 (the final Joint Action) comes to its end in May 2021 and negotiations on an HTA regulation are nearing completion. The task of the AIHTA is to coordinate and manage joint assessments of medical devices (so-called "other technologies"). In addition, the processes will be further improved and new processes will be developed, for example for optimized topic selection and patient participation.

EUnetHTA website: http://www.eunethta.eu

References:

1. Erdos J, Ettinger S, Mayer-Ferbas J, de Villiers C, Wild C (2019): European Collaboration in Health Technology Assessment (HTA): goals, methods and outcomes with specific focus on medical devices, Wiener Medizinische Wochenschrift (WMW), Feb 6. doi: 10.1007/s10354-019-0684-0.
2. Hawlik K, Rummel P, Wild C (2018): Analysis of duplication and timing of health technology assessments on medical devices in Europe. Int J Technol Assess Health Care. 34(1):18-26.
3. Kristensen, FB., Lampe, K., Wild, C. , Cerbo, M.,  Goettsch, W., Becla, L. (2017) The HTA Core Model - ten years of developing and applying international multi-dimensional value assessment, Value in Health, 20 (2): 244-50.
4. Wild, C., Vicari, N., Cerbo, M., Nachtnebel, A. (2016) European Collaboration in Health Technology Assessment (HTAs) of medical devices. JMDR. 13(1): 30-37.
5. Schnell-Inderst, P., Mayer, Lauterberg, J., Hunger, Th., Arvandia, M., Conrads-Frank, A.,  Nachtnebel, A., Wild, C., Siebert, U. (2015) Health technology assessment of medical devices: What is different? An overview of three European projects, ZEFQ/ Zeitschrift für Evidenz, Fortbildung und Qualität im Gesundheitswesen.  109 (4-5): 309-318.
6. Nachtnebel, A., Mayer, J., Erdös, J., Lampe, K., Kleijnen, S., Schnell-Inderst, P., Wild, C. (2015) HTA goes Europe: Europäische Zusammenarbeit in gemeinsamen Nutzenbewertungen und methodischen Fragen wird real. ZEFQ, 109 (4-5): 291—299.
7. Wild, C., Erdös, J., Warmuth, M., Hinterreiter, G., Krämer, P., Chalon, P. (2014) The Planned and Ongoing Projects/ POP Database: development, content, procedures, statistics. Int J TAHC, 30 (5): 497–503.