Health technology assessment

At the end of November 2019, the report of the project OTCA17, titled “Lithium triborate (LBO) laser for photoselective vaporization of the prostate (PVP) in the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH)” was published on the website of the European Network for HTA (EUnetHTA).

In November 2019, the Skåne Region released an HTA report for arthroscopic subacromial decompression (ASD) in subacromial pain syndrome that aimed to evaluate the scientific evidence for the procedure. It was concluded that the degree of clinical evidence is limited due to lack of study quality; the certain safety conclusions cannot be drawn due to the data diversity.

In October 2019, the Agency for Health Quality and Assessment of Catalonia (AQuAS) has released an assessment report regarding the evaluation strategies to prevent urinary tract infections associated with urethral/urinary catheters in critical patients in Intensive Care Units. The evidence is not conclusive, but there is scientific evidence that aims for the introduction of review measures for the indication of indwelling urethral/urinary catheters, its use in decubitus, and without kinking.

In Sweden, the Centre for Assessment of Medical Technology (CAMTÖ) leads the development of HTA cooperation in the healthcare region Uppsala-Örebro. In September 2019, CAMTÖ released an HTA report on PD-L1 positivity tested by McAb SP263 to guide immune checkpoint therapy in non-small-cell lung cancer. No safe conclusions could be drawn, but the wide range of positivity rates implies the difficulties in the standardization of PD-L1 expression and the need for better predictive biomarkers.

In November 2019, the two new mini-method assessments for ankyloglossia and rapid testing for chlamydia and gonorrhea were initiated by Oslo University. After the completion of the assessment procedure, the final reports would be available via a mini-HTA database.

In October 2019, the Agency for Health Quality and Assessment of Catalonia (AQuAS) has released an assessment report regarding the scientific evidence on personalized population screening for breast cancer. The current evidence does not allow to recommend any concrete models for individualized risk prediction for breast cancer but allows to recommend the development and evaluation of new models for personalized risk prediction directed to offering different strategies to the screening of population.

In October 2019, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published one new interventional procedure guidance (for midcarpal hemiarthroplasty for wrist arthritis) and two new MedTech innovation briefings (for superDimension Navigation System to help diagnostic sampling of peripheral lung lesions and MR-proADM test for use with clinical deterioration scores in cases of suspected infection).

On behalf of the Federal Joint Committee (G-BA), the Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) investigated whether wearing a lower jaw protrusion splint (Unterkieferprotrusionsschiene, UPS) is beneficial for obstructive sleep apnea.

In October 2019, the Agency for Health Quality and Assessment of Catalonia (AQuAS) has released an assessment report regarding the evaluation of Сerenkov luminescence image projection system for intraoperative evaluation of surgical margins in breast, prostate and gastrointestinal cancer. This new technology is expected to get an improvement in the effectiveness of oncological surgery and a reduction in costs.

The New Therapies (NT) Council provides comments on medical technology products and methods that are evaluated within the framework of the Dental and Pharmaceutical Benefits Agency (TLV) medical technology assignment. In October 2019, the NT Council recommended the use of FoundationOne CDx comprehensive genomic profiling test as support for the drug treatment choice in the context of clinical studies as there is a great need for knowledge and validation.

The HTA center of Swedish Västra Götaland region is aimed to work for the continuous development of knowledge-based care in the region and ensure that healthcare is supported by science and evaluation. Currently, Västra Götaland HTA-Centre works on several HTA projects related to medical procedures or devices: alertness therapy, MRI linac, and investigation, and treatment of PANS / PANDAS. After completion of assessments, the final reports would be released on the website of Västra Götaland region.

In September 2019, the Andalusian Health Technology Assessment Department (AETSA) has released an assessment report regarding the evaluation of epigenetic profiling to classify cancer of unknown primary (EPICUP). It was observed that people received empirical therapy without considering the results of EPICUP had a three times higher risk of dying compared to those with specific treatment of the location of the primary tumor, adjusting due to possible confounding factors.