Emerging markets no haven from HTA, says NICE
pharmafile | February 15, 2012 | News story | | Andrew Witty, GSK, NICE, NICE International
The head of NICE says pharma will face health technology assessment barriers in every country – including fast-growing developing markets.
NICE’s chief executive Sir Andrew Dillon was responding to remarks by another Sir Andrew – GSK’s chief executive Sir Andrew Witty.
The GSK head recently told investors his firm may move its drug development operations away from Europe, the US and Japan because of the increasing regulatory burden in these markets, and relocate to emerging markets.
But speaking at last week’s Economist Pharma Summit, NICE’s Sir Andrew Dillon said there was no escaping the realities of health technology assessment.
Indicating that GSK’s move would prove ultimately futile, Dillon said pharma should try to collaborate with HTA bodies.
“They should actually put their energy into working with agencies such as mine to try a create a ‘win-win’ situation – where companies can sell their drugs and patients receive cost effective medicines.”
NICE has an offshoot called NICE International, which offers an independent consultancy service to countries looking to develop their own HTA systems. Set up in 2008, the not-for-profit NICE International has already advised many governments on health reform, including specific projects with Brazil and China.
Sir Andrew added that both countries had expressed an interest in copying his organisation’s model – making a ‘China-NICE’ and a ‘Brazil-NICE’ a real possibility.
This is a nightmare scenario for the pharma industry, which is depending on rapid growth in these and other fast developing markets to maintain sales growth. If major barriers to uptake were adopted in these countries, it could directly hit pharma revenues.
“My sense is that those responsible for healthcare systems are going to scrutinise prices as rigourously as they can, given that they have finite resources, said Dillion, “and that’s why NICE International is being asked about the HTA process.”
“Pharma will keep coming up against decision makers who are informed by bodies like NICE, whether in mature markets, or developing ones.”
Dillon acknowledged that NICE International being part of NICE was controversial, and suggested this might one day lead to it being formally separated from NICE itself.
Ben Adams
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