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It is with great pleasure that I address today's press conference organised by the Ministry of Health, which aims to provide information on the issues of Health Technology Assessment and the implementation of the European Regulation 2021/2282, which is a new challenge in the health sector.
Health Technology Assessment is a process based on scientific evidence (Real Word Evidence) that independently and objectively evaluates a new or existing health technology, such as drugs and medical devices. At the same time, it focuses on the potential benefits of a new health technology compared to the existing health system.
Health Technology Assessment aims to improve the implementation of cost-effective new technologies, to prevent the adoption of technologies whose value to health systems may be questioned and to avoid delays in the introduction of promising new medicines or medical devices. In addition, it aims to ensure that a new health technology is implemented as correctly as possible in health systems, thus contributing to sound policy making.
This process, in addition to promoting evidence-based health care, helps to prioritise health technologies based on the highest added value of each technology and applies to both newly emerging technologies and existing technologies.
The role of Health Technology Assessment in industry is equally important The application of Health Technology Assessment to an innovative health technology, with the added value it adds to patients, appears to influence industry in making long-term decisions to invest in Research & Development (R&D), providing additional incentives to encourage innovation for the benefit of patients. In particular, it can help to guide industry to introduce new innovative pharmacotherapies for unmet medical needs.
The application of Health Technology Assessment contributes constructively to enhancing transparency for decision making, with the direct and active participation of key stakeholders, such as patients and health professionals. The information provided by patients is of particular importance for the evaluation of treatment options.
The new European Regulation on Health Technology Assessment is mainly about creating a mechanism for common clinical assessments at European level, which can be used by Member States as a basis for their own further actions needed to make inclusion decisions in their health systems.
The European Regulation sets fundamental objectives in terms of transparency, predictability In addition to this, apart from improving patient access to innovative pharmaceutical and medical devices, the Regulation is expected to reduce the administrative burden at national level, while enhancing competitiveness at European Union level.
Friends,
Healthcare for the Cypriot citizen is an essential good. It is a fact that, in recent years, the pace of development of new and innovative medicines and medical devices has been particularly intense due to the development of new technologies. Cyprus, as a small country, faces problems of accessibility to innovative treatments. With the implementation of the European Regulation, our country will be able to ensure the provision of a high level of health care by enhancing patient access to innovative medicines and medical devices. At the same time, apart from patients, health professionals will benefit from the possibility of providing the newest treatments, as well as the research community, by promoting innovation for unmet health needs.
Cyprus is an active member of the new centralised health technology assessment process, participating, through the Pharmaceutical Services for pharmaceutical products and the Medical and Public Health Services for medical devices, in all the relevant committees and working groups of the European Commission.
Cyprus is an active member of the new centralised health technology assessment process, participating, through the Pharmaceutical Services for pharmaceutical products and the Medical and Public Health Services for medical devices, in all the relevant committees and working groups of the European Commission. In this way, both the acquisition of knowledge and the readiness to implement the new European Regulation for the Evaluation of Health Technologies, as well as the contribution of Cyprus to the formulation of the guidelines, the preparation of standard documents and the Regulatory Provisions surrounding the European Regulation are achieved.
For the implementation of the European Regulation, which will enter into force in January 2025, the Ministry of Health has submitted a proposal for technical support through Technical Assistance (TSI) from the Directorate General for Structural Reforms (DG Reform) of the European Union.
To conclude my address, I would like to welcome you and thank you for your participation in today's conference.
Contents of this article including associated images are owned by PIO
Views & opinions expressed are those of the author and/or PIO
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