European call for greater HTA co-operation
pharmafile | July 9, 2010 | News story | Sales and Marketing | hta
The European Commissioner who oversees the pharma sector has called for greater co-operation on health technology assessment.
John Dalli, the EC member responsible for health and consumer policy, made his remarks at the recent EU Open Health Forum 2010 in Brussels.
In particular he pinpointed the smart use of health technology as a key means of stemming rising costs. “I am convinced that health technology can save lives and greatly improve healthcare,” Dalli said.
“But it is also expensive and needs to be managed wisely. The Commission and EU Member States are working on a joint initiative to increase co-operation, share information and develop the same methods for health technology assessment,” he added.
He also spoke of the need for an innovative pharma sector that invests in R&D of urgently-needed new medicines “which respect the conditions of quality, safety and efficacy”.
Dalli’s health and consumer unit was given responsibility for EC pharma and biotech policy at the beginning of this year, when it taken away from the enterprise and industry directorate.
“We need to use technology for health in a smart and responsible manner,” Dalli concluded. “To do this, we need to bring many different policies and actors on board and work together. We face common challenges that require common solutions. Only by working together, can we turn these challenges into opportunities.”
The best known European health technology assessment (HTA) body is the UK’s NICE, whose decisions on drugs’ cost and clinical effectiveness have a wide influence outside its national boundaries.
Speaking at the recent Economist conference in London the EMA’s Thomas Lönngren expressed his support for the project to harmonise HTA in Europe, and even suggested his agency was best placed to take on this role.
Many in the industry fear the creation of a ‘Euro NICE’, but Lönngren stressed that he was not proposing the creation of a new body, merely harmonisation of methods, and that any assessment would be separate from marketing approval.
EMA evaluation
Meanwhile the EC has concluded an evaluation of the efficiency and effectiveness of the European Medicines Agency which could lead to changes in the way it is run.
At a recent conference a range of interested parties, including regulators, doctors, patient groups and pharma representatives met to consider various issues.
Chief among these was whether the EMA would be able to deal effectively with the increasing globalisation of the pharma industry.
The challenge of personalised medicines, funding, scientific resources and demands for greater involvement from doctors and patients were also among the key points discussed.
Dalli’s deputy head of cabinet Nils Behrndt said the EMA and European Medicines Network had been a success story so far.
“However, the system will have to adapt to take on all the new responsibilities in the pipeline,” he added.
The EMA and EC will issue a report on proposals arising from the conference, some of which are already likely to be in the EMA’s published ‘road map’ to 2015.
Adam Hill
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