Health technology assessment

In July 2020, the Austrian Institute for Health Technology Assessment (AIHTA) issued an updated report on the PET/PET-CT evidence for need-based planning in Austria.

In July 2020, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published two new interventional procedure guidance (for artificial iris insertion for acquired aniridia and for congenital aniridia), and two Medtech innovation briefings (for Prontosan for acute and chronic wounds, and CFHealthHub for managing cystic fibrosis during the COVID-19 pandemic).

In July 2020, the network of European HTA agencies, EUnetHTA, announced a final project plan of the project OTCA25 “Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT) for lung, prostate, and liver cancer.”

The HTA body of the Tuscany Regional Healthcare issues two types of documents: HTA forms and motivational forms. With a regional decree 12735 of August 13, 2020, Tuscany Regional Healthcare has published assessments of eleven medical devices of various therapeutic areas, including peripheral nerve stimulator, catheter for renal denervation, EKOS technology and others.

In July 2020, the Austrian Institute for Health Technology Assessment (AIHTA) published updated evaluations of medical procedures previously assessed. Technologies that were revised are leadless pacemaker for right ventricle pacing and extracorporeal cytokine hemadsorption therapy in patients with sepsis or SIRS.

In the middle of 2020, the Galician Scientific and Technical Advice Unit (Unidad de Asesoramiento Científico-técnico, Avalia-T) released a health technology assessment on clinical Effectiveness of newborn screening for inborn errors of metabolism by MS/MS that aimed to update the data collected in the pilot study. It is recommended to define health indicators, optimum and acceptable levels of some process indicators.

The Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) investigated the extent to which evidence is available for the benefit and harm of non-invasive computed tomography angiography (CTA) and stress diagnostics using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in people with suspected coronary heart disease (CAD) using evidence mapping.

On the 9th of July 2020, the Ministry of Health of Spain released a screening guide for Hepatitis C infection as a part of the Strategic Plan for Addressing Hepatitis C in the National Health System. To improve access to screening and link to treatment monitoring, the guide proposes actions such as diagnosing the infection in a single step, training and support activities for health professionals, or a simplification of the models.

In July 2020, the Austrian Institute for Health Technology Assessment (AIHTA) published five decision support documents. The assessed technologies included implantation of a wireless pulmonary artery pressure sensor in patients with advanced heart failure, intrauterine ultrasound-guided transcervical radiofrequency ablation, percutaneous transvascular implantation of a coronary sinus reducing stent, radiofrequency-induced intravesical chemohyperthermia for non-muscle invasive bladder cancer, and Vascular photodynamic therapy with Padeliporfin (Tookad® solution).

On July 03, 2020, the network of European HTA agencies, EUnetHTA, published the final report for the Rapid Relative Effectiveness Assessment OTCA24 ‘The 24-hour blood pressure measurement device Mobil-O- Graph® with the built-in algorithm ARCSolver® to measure arterial stiffness for the optimization of hypertension treatment.”

On behalf of the Federal Joint Committee (G-BA), the Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) investigated whether (former) heavy smokers within statutory health insurance (SHI) should be offered lung cancer screening using low-dose computed tomography (LDCT).

In June 2020, the Andalusian Health Technology Assessment Department (AETSA) published an update of the earlier report (2012) on assessment of effectiveness and safety of tumor treating fields (TTF) therapy in glioblastoma.