MedTech-related health technology assessments from NIHR in August 2022

The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) funds valuable independent research for health and social care decision-makers in England. Reports from the Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Programme are published in the NIHR HTA Journal and inform NICE guidance.

In August 2022, two MedTech-related assessments were published in the NIHR HTA Journal:

• Synthetic sling or artificial urinary sphincter for men with urodynamic stress incontinence after prostate surgery, based on a multicentre, non-inferiority randomized controlled trial (MASTER). The study showed that self-reported continence rates after 12 months improved from baseline with the male sling non-inferior to the artificial urinary sphincter. Symptoms and quality of life significantly improved in both groups. Men were generally satisfied with both procedures. The base-case analysis indicated that, on average, male slings cost less than an artificial urinary sphincter. Overall, secondary and post hoc analyses favored the artificial urinary sphincter over the male sling;
• Hughes abdominal closure versus standard mass closure to reduce incisional hernias following surgery for colorectal cancer, based on a prospective, multicentre, single-blinded randomized controlled trial (HART). The study showed that Hughes abdominal closure did not significantly reduce the incidence of incisional hernias detected by clinical examination and was less cost-effective at one year than standard mass closure in colorectal cancer patients. Computed tomography scanning may be more effective at identifying incisional hernias than clinical examination, but the clinical benefit of this needs further research.

See the full details here.

This news is just one of about 300 market access news collected by our team in the subscription services "HTA Alerts" and "Reimbursement Alerts" every two weeks from more than 80 organizations. Access our paid subscription services to stay on top of all developments specifically for your products in Europe (reimbursement news) and globally (HTA news). First EU issues of both newsletters are available for download free-of-charge.

Not ready for a subscription service? Subscribe to our free-of-charge newsletter delivered every second week to get updates about key reimbursement developments in Europe (10-12 news every two weeks).