Med Tech-related technology assessments from NICE in the first half of November 2017

Interventional Procedure Guidance is developed for most of the novel interventional procedures entering the English market. The program focuses solely on the clinical evidence. Recommendations may vary from ‘for research only’ to ‘for use with standard arrangements for clinical governance, consent and audit’. Recommendations are not binding, although they are followed by providers and commissioners.

In the first half of November NICE published two new interventional procedures guidance:

• Interventional procedures guidance Total distal radioulnar joint replacement for symptomatic joint instability or arthritis covers evidence-based recommendations for total distal radioulnar joint replacement for symptomatic joint instability or arthritis in adults. Current evidence on the safety and efficacy of total distal radioulnar joint replacement for symptomatic joint instability or arthritis is limited in quantity and quality. Therefore, this procedure should only be used with special arrangements for clinical governance, consent and audit or research.
• Interventional procedures guidance Extracranial to intracranial bypass for intracranial atherosclerosis includes evidence-based recommendations on extracranial to intracranial bypass for intracranial atherosclerosis. This document replaces previous guidance on extracranial to intracranial bypass for intracranial atherosclerosis (interventional procedures guidance 348). Current evidence on the safety and efficacy of extracranial to intracranial bypass for intracranial atherosclerosis shows that there is no benefit to the patient from the intervention. There are major concerns about its safety. Therefore this procedure should not be used to treat this condition.

Diagnostics guidance evaluates new, innovative diagnostic technologies. It includes all types of measurements and tests that are used to assess a patient's condition. The guidance helps people in the NHS make efficient, cost-effective and consistent decisions about adopting new products. It supports innovation, transformation and improves healthcare delivery.

In the first half of November NICE published one new diagnostics guidance Tests in secondary care to identify people at high risk of ovarian cancer, that covers evidence-based recommendations on tests in secondary care to identify people at high risk of ovarian cancer, including IOTA ADNEX model, Overa (MIA2G), RMI I (at thresholds other than 250), ROMA and IOTA Simple Rules. There is currently not enough evidence to recommend the routine adoption of these tests in secondary care in the NHS to help decide whether to refer people with suspected ovarian cancer to a specialist multidisciplinary team (MDT). Further research is recommended on test accuracy and the impact of the test results on clinical decision-making.

MedTech Innovation Briefing is the NICE's advice program for innovative technologies. It provides an overview of clinical effectiveness, safety and cost. It does not offer a formal guidance, and it, therefore, does not provide any recommendations.

Four new Medtech Innovation Briefings, including three MIBs for health applications GDm-Health for people with gestational diabetes (provides remote monitoring of blood glucose levels and communication with healthcare professionals), Sleepio for adults with poor sleep (designed for adults to help improve their sleep through a cognitive behavioural therapy approach) and ChatHealth communication platform in school nursing services (a 2-way communication platform that allows direct contact between patients and healthcare professionals), and HTG EdgeSeq ALKPlus Assay EU for ALK status testing in non-small-cell lung cancer (used to identify mRNA ALK gene fusion events in lung tumour specimens taken from people with non-small-cell lung cancer) have been published.

See full details in the English here.

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