Recent publications by the Danish Health Technology Council

On May 27, 2024, the Danish Health Technology Council released two new publications: an evaluation of Optune® (Novocure) and a major analysis (større analyser) on the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea.

As for Optune, the Health Technology Council does not recommend it for the treatment of glioma WHO grade 4. The Council considers that there is no reasonable relationship between the estimated clinical added value and the costs of Optune for the treatment of newly diagnosed glioma WHO grade 4 compared to standard treatment:

• Treatment with Optune has a limited absolute effect in relation to patient survival, while the impact on the patient's quality of life and cognitive abilities is not clear;
• Treatment with Optune represents a substantial additional cost relative to its effect;
• The evidence on the clinical efficacy of Optune is of low to moderate quality;
• The evidence base regarding the patient perspective is sparse and uncertain.

As for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), the Health Technology Council recommends a differentiated use of treatment types for patients with this condition, which is based on the fact that the Council sees potential for more cost-effective treatment options for patients with this disease than today:

• For mild OSA (5 ≤ Apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) < 15): the Health Technology Council does not recommend active treatment since the clinical evidence does not support the effect of treatment with either Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) or Mandibular Advancement Device (MAD);
• For moderate OSA (15 ≤ AHI < 30): the Health Technology Council recommends treatment with CPAP and MAD. For patients with positional OSA who cannot use CPAP or MAD, the Health Technology Council recommends positional therapy;
• For severe OSA (AHI ≥ 30): the Health Technology Council recommends treatment with CPAP and MAD;
• Patients with moderate to severe OSA and the right surgical indication can be treated with soft tissue surgery, including tonsillectomy, tonsil/palate surgery, or tongue/larynx surgery;
• Maxillomandibular advancement surgery (MMA) and Upper airway stimulation (UAS) should only be offered to highly selected patients with moderate to severe OSA who tried other treatment options without success.

See the full details in Danish here, here, and here.

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