PP37 SUSTAIN-HTA - Structured Collaboration Between Health Technology Assessment Bodies And Academia - Current Practices, Barriers, And Recommendations In Europe

Sep 29, 2026

Uploaded by Eliana

Health technology assessment (HTA) applies explicit methods to determine health technology value across the lifecycle, and partnerships with academia are vital for methodological advancement. Regulatory misalignment and limited resources obstruct effective collaboration, prompting a structured dialogue model. A two-phase study used a rapid literature review with snowballing, then a Europe-wide online survey of HTA bodies. Responses described prevalent academic partnerships, common contract and consulting structures, and key barriers such as diverse paradigms, organizational resistance, and liability concerns.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages1

Reading Time3 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Methods

Results

Conclusions

PP37 SUSTAIN-HTA. Structured Collaboration Between Health Technology Assessment Bodies And Academia: Current Practices, Barriers, And Recommendations In Europe Enric Rubiella, Jessica Ruiz-Baena, Roland Pastells-Peiró, Rosa Maria Vivanco-Hidalgo (rvivanco@gencat.cat), Liza van Mun, Carlo Federici and Alessandra Alessandra Introduction: Health technology assessment (HTA) uses explicit methods to determine the value of a health technology at different stages of its life cycle. Collaboration between HTA bodies and academia is crucial for advancing methodologies and their use in practice. However, regulatory misalignment and resource constraints hinder effective partnerships. This study provided ways to facilitate structured dialogue between HTA bodies and academia. Methods: A two-phase approach was used. Phase one involved a rapid literature review and snowballing to identify frameworks for HTA–academia collaborations. Phase two consisted of an online survey with targeted dissemination to HTA bodies across Europe and beyond through social media (35 were invited) . The survey questions were informed by a rapid review and addressed collaboration types, incentives, challenges, regulatory frameworks, and HTA regulation impact. Key areas included methodological development, training, and structured partnerships. Data were analyzed in Excel using descriptive statistics to identify patterns not only across Europe, but also within distinct European areas. Results were categorized by Europe as a whole and individual countries. Results: We obtained responses from 17 HTA bodies of which 16 maintained academic collaborations, primarily with universities at a national level. Common structures included service contracts (n=11) and consulting agreements (n=9), enabling short-term flexibility. Current collaborations focused on assessing scientific data (n=12) and specific health technologies (n=11) . Barriers included diverse research paradigms (n=5), organizational resistance to change (n=5), and liability concerns (n=5) . Respondents emphasized the need for guidelines and capacity building initiatives to overcome these challenges. Methodological innovation (n=14) and capacity building and training (n=13) emerged as priority objectives for collaboration. Future collaborations are expected (n=9) to align with the European HTA Regulation. Conclusions: Strengthening HTA–academia collaborations requires structured and sustainable infrastructures addressing regulatory barriers, training needs, and cultural differences across countries. Clear guidelines, strategic academic partnership selection, and incentives can enhance collaboration. Implementing these findings will contribute to improved and updated methodologies and evidence-based decision-making in HTA across Europe and beyond. PP38 Bevacizumab Biosimilar For Patients With Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Or Metastatic Colorectal Cancer: Results From A Cochrane Review Annemeri Livinalli ([annemeri.livinalli@gmail.com](annemeri.livinalli@gmail.com)), Tais F. Galvao, Luciane C. Lopes, Ivan Zimmermann and Marcus T. Silva Introduction: Bevacizumab combined with chemotherapy is used in the first-line treatment of advanced non-small cell lung and metastatic colorectal cancer. Bevacizumab biosimilars have been developed and marketed after the expiration of the reference bevacizumab patent. Equivalence studies have demonstrated that biosimilars are comparable with their reference medicine, but synthesis of the effects and safety is not available to improve clinical decision-making. Methods: We performed a Cochrane systematic review and searched main bibliographic (CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science) and clinical trials databases up to February 2024 . We included randomized controlled trials that directly compared adults with nonsmall cell lung or colorectal cancer receiving either bevacizumab biosimilars or the reference product. When applicable, we combined the results for outcomes usi

FAQs

What was the main goal of the SUSTAIN-HTA study?

To facilitate structured dialogue between health technology assessment (HTA) bodies and academia by examining current practices, barriers, and recommendations.

How were HTA–academia collaboration practices investigated?

The study used a two-phase approach: a rapid literature review with snowballing to identify frameworks, followed by an online survey with targeted dissemination to HTA bodies.

What barriers and priority objectives did respondents highlight?

Barriers included diverse research paradigms, organizational resistance to change, and liability concerns. Priority objectives included methodological innovation, capacity building, and training to support sustainable collaboration.

Sep 29, 2026

Uploaded by Eliana