The Center for Medicine in the Public Interest (the think tank home of drugwonks.com) is part of a transatlantic public policy institute consortium on the future of healthcare technology assessment (HTA). One of the member organizations, the German Institut fur Unternehmerische Freiheit (the Institute for Free Enterprise) held a seminar in Berlin yesterday entitled, "Cost Pressures on the German Health System -- Is Health Technology Assessment the Solution?"
One of the speakers was Dr. Christian Behles, Director and Professor of Drug Regulatory Affairs at the University of Bonn and an advisor to the German government.
Professor Behles pointed out that while IQWiG casts a suspicious eye on industry-designed pharmaco-economic studies, they use industry-sponsored RCTS as the basis of their comparative effectiveness findings.
He also noted that these RCTS were not designed to be used for head-to-head comparisons -- further reinforcing the recent comments made by NICE's Sir Michael Rawlings in front of the British House of Commons that HTA "is not based on empirical research."
In other words, IQWiG embraces industry-sponsored RCT data that was not designed to be used comparatively, while rejecting industry-sponsored data that was specifically designed to show the value of a new innovative medicine.
When is an industry study not an industry study? It seems that, for IQWiG, the answer is "when it's convenient."
It's interesting to note that the title of Professor Behles' presentation was, "HTA and Political Interference -- the Case of Germany's IQWiG."
One of the speakers was Dr. Christian Behles, Director and Professor of Drug Regulatory Affairs at the University of Bonn and an advisor to the German government.
Professor Behles pointed out that while IQWiG casts a suspicious eye on industry-designed pharmaco-economic studies, they use industry-sponsored RCTS as the basis of their comparative effectiveness findings.
He also noted that these RCTS were not designed to be used for head-to-head comparisons -- further reinforcing the recent comments made by NICE's Sir Michael Rawlings in front of the British House of Commons that HTA "is not based on empirical research."
In other words, IQWiG embraces industry-sponsored RCT data that was not designed to be used comparatively, while rejecting industry-sponsored data that was specifically designed to show the value of a new innovative medicine.
When is an industry study not an industry study? It seems that, for IQWiG, the answer is "when it's convenient."
It's interesting to note that the title of Professor Behles' presentation was, "HTA and Political Interference -- the Case of Germany's IQWiG."
