Advancing the use of real world evidence in health technology assessment: insights from a multi-stakeholder workshop

Ravinder Claire; Jamie Elvidge; Shahid Hanif; Hannah Goovaerts; Peter R Rijnbeek; Páll Jónsson; Karen Facey; Dalia Dawoud

doi:10.3389/fphar.2023.1289365

Advancing the use of real world evidence in health technology assessment: insights from a multi-stakeholder workshop

Front Pharmacol. 2024 Jan 12:14:1289365. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2023.1289365. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Ravinder Claire¹, Jamie Elvidge¹, Shahid Hanif², Hannah Goovaerts³, Peter R Rijnbeek⁴, Páll Jónsson¹, Karen Facey⁵, Dalia Dawoud^{6

7}

Affiliations

¹ National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, Manchester, United Kingdom.
² GetReal Institute, Utrecht, Netherlands.
³ Pfizer nv/sa, Brussels, Belgium.
⁴ Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands.
⁵ University of Edinburgh, Member Scottish Health Technologies Group Council, Edinburgh, United Kingdom.
⁶ National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, London, United Kingdom.
⁷ Clinical Pharmacy Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt.

Abstract

Introduction: Real-world evidence (RWE) in health technology assessment (HTA) holds significant potential for informing healthcare decision-making. A multistakeholder workshop was organised by the European Health Data and Evidence Network (EHDEN) and the GetReal Institute to explore the status, challenges, and opportunities in incorporating RWE into HTA, with a focus on learning from regulatory initiatives such as the European Medicines Agency (EMA) Data Analysis and Real World Interrogation Network (DARWIN EU^®). Methods: The workshop gathered key stakeholders from regulatory agencies, HTA organizations, academia, and industry for three panel discussions on RWE and HTA integration. Insights and recommendations were collected through panel discussions and audience polls. The workshop outcomes were reviewed by authors to identify key themes, challenges, and recommendations. Results: The workshop discussions revealed several important findings relating to the use of RWE in HTA. Compared with regulatory processes, its adoption in HTA to date has been slow. Barriers include limited trust in RWE, data quality concerns, and uncertainty about best practices. Facilitators include multidisciplinary training, educational initiatives, and stakeholder collaboration, which could be facilitated by initiatives like EHDEN and the GetReal Institute. Demonstrating the impact of "driver projects" could promote RWE adoption in HTA. Conclusion: To enhance the integration of RWE in HTA, it is crucial to address known barriers through comprehensive training, stakeholder collaboration, and impactful exemplar research projects. By upskilling users and beneficiaries of RWE and those that generate it, promoting collaboration, and conducting "driver projects," can strengthen the HTA evidence base for more informed healthcare decisions.

Keywords: common data model; federated data network; health technology assessment; real world data; real world evidence; regulatory.

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. The European Health Data & Evidence Network has received funding from the Innovative Medicines Initiative 2 Joint Undertaking (JU) under grant agreement No. 806968. The JU receives support from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme and EFPIA.