Jun 17, 2022
EU HTA Regulation: International preparatory meeting in Cologne
At IQWiG's invitation 41 representatives from European HTA agencies and two from the EU Commission discussed the next steps on the way to joint health technology assessments in the EU from 2025.
From 2025, the member states of the European Union (EU) are to prepare joint health technology assessments (HTAs). This is specified in the EU HTA Regulation, which will then be implemented.
But how can the HTA agencies in the individual EU member states support the EU Commission in implementing this ambitious goal? How can the preliminary work in the individual HTA agencies be coordinated so that there is no duplication of effort? Moreover, how do the regulations of the EU Medical Device Regulation (MDR), which was only implemented last year, fit in with the new EU HTA Regulation? Is meaningful interaction possible here?
Questions like these were discussed by the Heads of HTA Agencies Group (HAG), an independent group of heads of HTA agencies affected by the EU HTA Regulation, at a hybrid meeting in Cologne in mid-June. A total of 41 representatives from HTA agencies from 13 EU member states attended the international meeting. The meetings are hosted in turn by the participating agencies, and this time, it was the turn of the Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG). Two representatives from the European Commission also participated.
Alric Rüther, Head of IQWiG's International Affairs Unit, emphasizes, "The issue of joint benefit assessments is an extremely complex matter in view of the diverse health care systems in Europe. A close exchange between the European HTA agencies is indispensable for success. Only in this way can the aspiration for high quality, independence and transparency be maintained."