National Health Insurance Administration Director General Shih Chung-liang, Center of Drug Evaluation (CDE) CEO Lin Shyr-yi earlier visited the U.K. and met with officials of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and National Health Service (NHS), and discussed topics including the operation of the Innovative Medicines Fund (IMF) and the Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF), health technology assessment (HTA) methodology as well as diverse financial management mechanisms. Health officials from both sides signed a partnership agreement to deepen information exchange and personnel training with the aim of enhancing the evaluation and inclusion of new drugs and new financial management mechanisms in the health insurance system.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare said that through the partnership, Taiwan can learn more about better using the HTA process to accelerate patient access to breakthrough new drugs under limited resources and use real world data to identify and phase out drugs that lack proof of cost-effectiveness to ensure that resources are focused in where they are most needed, while also providing a solution to the challenges posed by costly new drugs whose efficacy remain uncertain.

The NHIA said that through the agreement, it will work with NICE on personnel training and technical discussions in HTA. The collaboration will also provide an opportunity to learn about the latest trends and methods in cutting edge HTA skills, as well as the application of real-world data, and exchanges on the financial operation of the IMF and CDF. Director General Shih said that the agreement is among the most important milestones in the NHI’s 28-year history.

[2023-5-25/Liberty Times]