The National Health Insurance Administration (NHIA) of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, in collaboration with the Center for Health Policy and Technology Assessment (CHPTA), organized the second Taiwan-U.K. Health Technology Assessment Workshop in partnership with the UK's National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). The workshop took place on June 24 and 25, 2024.
According to the NHIA, the afternoon session on June 24 was open to pharmaceutical industry professionals, academics, patient groups, and the general public. This session focused on the provisional listing system that NICE adopts for new cancer drugs, as well as the development of digital healthcare at NICE. The open session allowed all participants to understand how healthcare technology development works in other countries and encouraged collaboration with the government in establishing a local provisional listing model for new cancer drugs. On June 25, in contrast, a closed-door meeting was held for experts from NICE, personnel from NHIA and CHPTA, and domestic experts on gene therapy and cell therapy. The meeting focused on exchanging insights into real-world data collection mechanisms for CAR-T and SMA medicines, as well as evaluating their clinical efficacy.
The UK's NICE is widely recognized as the most influential health technology assessment institute globally. Established in 1999, NICE has evolved into an independent administrative corporation employing 500 staff members. Grounded in scientific evidence, NICE provides cost-effective policy evaluations and guidelines for new healthcare services, technologies, and social care measures in the UK. NICE plays a crucial role in assisting the UK's National Health Service (NHS) in making informed policy decisions, and its recommendations serve as significant benchmarks for health insurance systems worldwide.
Director General Chung-Liang Shih of the NHIA highlighted in his remarks that this workshop marks the second collaboration between the NHIA and NICE. He noted the rapid advancement in new healthcare technologies, including costly one-time treatments such as cell therapy and gene therapy, as well as promising new cancer drugs. Given the uncertainties surrounding their clinical efficacy and financial impact, the NHIA has implemented a provisional listing system to expedite their integration into the NHI package. To date, a total of 9 items (comprising 6 new cancer drugs, 2 cancer drugs with expanded applications, and 1 drug for cardiovascular diseases) have been provisionally listed. However, the current issue lies in evaluating 1.5 to 2 years of real-world data and ongoing clinical trial data to determine their eligibility for full inclusion in the NHI payment package. Through collaborative efforts between the NHIA and pharmaceutical providers, aimed at enhancing the well-being of all patients, especially those facing severe illnesses, Taiwan's NHI program is poised to improve significantly.
Director General Shih also mentioned that in the future, the NHIA will establish a provisional listing system aligned with the regular NHI payment package, based on clinical evidence for potential special medical materials. To enhance the capacity of health technology assessment and reassessment (HTA/HTR), an act to establish the National Institute of Health Technology Assessment has been drafted, and relevant legislative procedures are ongoing. The goal is to transform the CHPTA into an independent administrative corporation focused on developing health technology assessments and training relevant professionals to establish a pharmaceutical inclusion framework based on value and cost-effectiveness for the NHI program.
The NHIA and the CHPTA will continue collaborating with the UK's NICE under the cooperation agreement, exchanging information on health technology assessment issues and establishing a mutual training channel to contribute to international exchanges, export health technology assessment knowledge, and develop value-based insurance payment packages.