Five projects awarded under the 2021 "Subsidy scheme for promising care" in the Netherlands

On March 30, 2020, the Dutch Healthcare Institute (Zorginstituut Nederland, ZIN) announced five projects which received a subsidy under the "Subsidy scheme for promising care" in 2021: repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation and in vivo exposure with response prevention in obsessive-compulsive disorder; MRI-guided laser-induced thermotherapy in glioblastoma; personalized treatment with selective internal radiotherapy in elderly or vulnerable colon cancer patients with liver metastases; structured, multidisciplinary and person-centered intensive care aftercare for patients at risk of health problems; Basophil Activation Test in children with possible IgE mediated cow's milk allergy.

The study for the repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation and in vivo exposure with response prevention in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder received a subsidy of €2.8 million. According to the researchers, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation can improve treatment outcomes in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder who do not benefit sufficiently from cognitive behavioral therapy. Several hospitals and mental health institutions will conduct the research under the leadership of Amsterdam university medical center. The project will start on September 1, 2021, for a period of six years. Two hundred and fifty patients are expected to participate in the study.

The research on the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the MRI-guided laser-induced thermotherapy (LITT) in patients with glioblastoma received a subsidy of €3.9 million. According to the researchers, the MRI-guided LITT can extend the lifespan for inoperable patients with glioblastoma. The national, multicentre, open-label randomized control study with the participation of 282 adult patients with suspected glioblastoma based on radiological examination and a contraindication for surgical resection will be conducted at the Radboud university medical center. The project will start on October 1, 2021, for a period of six years. Two hundred and fifty patients are expected to participate in the study.

A multicenter, randomized study of effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of personalized radio-embolization treatment is compared with standard therapy (three weekly courses of capecitabine and bevacizumab) in elderly or vulnerable patients with previously untreated, unresectable colorectal metastases that are limited to the liver was awarded a subsidy of €6.4 million. The Utrecht university medical center will lead the research. The project will start on July 1, 2021, for a period of five years, with an enrollment of 220 patients.

Five Dutch hospitals, led by the Radboud university medical center, will receive a subsidy of €1.6 million to research the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of structured, multidisciplinary, and person-oriented aftercare in adult patients with an increased risk of new  health problems as a result of the disease for which they were treated in the ICU. The project will start on August 15, 2021, for a period of five years and five months, with an enrollment of 1,210 patients. The following hospitals are involved in the study under the Radboud university medical center's leadership: Canisius Wilhelmina Hospital, Jeroen Bosch Hospital, Rijnstate, and Bernhoven.

The study for the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of Basophil Activation Test (BAT) in children between 0 and 12 years who are referred to secondary or tertiary care because of a suspicion of IgE-mediated cow's milk allergy received a grant of €713,203. Seventeen hospitals will conduct the research under the leadership of Rijnstate Hospital (Arnhem). The project will start on September 1, 2021, for a period of four years and three months. Seven hundred children between 0 and 12 years are expected to participate in the study.

Based on the scientific evidence, the ZIN will take a position within six months at the end of the research process to determine whether care meets 'the current state of science and practice'. If the effectiveness is proved, the treatment will be included in the basic insurance package and reimbursed as regular care.

The full details in Dutch can be found here.

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