European Study Calls for a Patient-Centric Perspective on Value Added Medicines

A new study has highlighted the need for adjustments in HTA decision frameworks to ensure that European patients can benefit from value added medicines.   The study, “Value Added Medicines: Time to Adjust the HTA Decision Frameworks”, conducted by Mondher Toumi, Professor of Public Health at Aix-Marseille University, emphasises that “value added medicines represent an opportunity for increasing the cost-effectiveness of treatments or services that may bring substantial value to individual patients and society. However, the current European HTA decision frameworks represent various challenges for the full value recognition of these products, which need to be addressed.”   According to the study, which counted on the feedback of key HTA experts across Europe, value added medicines make a major contribution to patients’ quality of life, health outcomes or adherence, and address a number of medicine-related healthcare inefficiencies, improving healthcare provision and organization while contributing to the sustainability of healthcare systems.     The study highlights a need to adjust HTA decision frameworks to ensure that all benefits of value added medicines are appropriately captured and to ensure a patient-centric assessment. The manufacturers of value added medicines should also have the opportunity to get early HTA advice in order to better shape their clinical development plan.   Professor Toumi commented that “taking into consideration the specific benefits of value added medicines will need efforts both on the research and policy fronts, but also the involvement of a broad range of stakeholders in the decision-making process”. Ten key recommendations are put forward in the report to ensure that value added medicines can be rightfully assessed by HTA decision frameworks in the future.   http://www.medicinesforeurope.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/White-paper_HTAonValueaddedmedicines_Final.pdf