U.K. Proposes "Fast-Track" For Funding Medical Technology
The U.K.’s National Health Service (NHS) and National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) have, in joint consultation, released a list of proposals aimed at improving patient access to cost-effective medical technologies. According to the proposal, the changes could reduce patient wait times for certain devices from 90 days to 30 days, will open up funding for highly specialized treatments indicated for rare diseases, and will help the healthcare industry better manage UK launches of its products.
Since 1999, NICE has provided evidence-based evaluations and recommendations for the NHS and other social services in the UK, including technology appraisals. NICE evaluates every new pharmaceutical product or device launched in the UK to ensure “equitable access to the most clinically- and cost-effective treatments.” Recent NICE recommendations include integrated automated glucose monitoring for type 1 diabetics and a new device to manage sickle cell disease.
In a statement, NICE announced changes that would simplify its process for some technology and make funding for other technologies clearer. The list of proposals is the result of 12 weeks of consultation between the NHS and NICE, and addresses the challenges in “providing timely access to new treatments but introducing technologies in a way that is both good for UK business, and at the same time, optimizes the financial sustainability of NHS.”
The first proposal would “fast track” the appraisal process for drugs or devices that fall below a cost-effective ratio of $12,193 per quality adjusted life year (QALY). The second would establish a “budget impact threshold” of $24 million that would better manage the launch of expensive treatments still determined to be cost-effective, varying the timescale when there is a “compelling case” for disruptive technology. The last proposal would automatically fund up to $122,000 per QALY treatment for extremely rare conditions, a funding cap five times greater than NICE’s standard threshold.
NICE CEO Andrew Dillon commented in the press release that changes would make NICE’s appraisal process “more agile and flexible,” and that close collaboration with the NHS would ensure that patients benefit from the “pace and scale” of medical innovation while safeguarding the “financial sustainability” of the NHS.
Jonathan Fielden, NHS England’s director of specialized commissioning and deputy national medical director, noted that the proposals were also good for industry representatives “willing to work with us and price their products responsibly. There will also be the added flexibility to negotiate with drug companies on those technologies which are cost effective but have a heftier price tag.”
Dillon added that both organizations would welcome comment from the public for the duration of the consultation, which ends on Jan. 13, 2017.
Earlier this year, NHS pledged to invest $6 billion to digitize the U.K.’s health system by 2018. In a speech, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said, “The NHS cannot be the last man standing as the rest of the economy embraces the technology revolution.”