Australian government's health technology assessment review points to better access for patients, say drugmakers

The release last Friday of the Australian federal government's Health Technology Assessment Review highlights some key future developments in the way governments assess new prescription medicines and other medical technologies for subsidy.

A key objective of the HTA Review was to address the regulatory burden on business that results from HTA processes, to ensure that those processes are efficient, measured and proportionate. The HTA Review identifies opportunities for reform of the processes that may be poorly designed, duplicated or unnecessary, imposing unwarranted costs and complexity on business and discouraging innovation. The recommendations from the HTA Review strike an appropriate balance not only by reducing costs to business but also by improving patient access to safe, effective and cost-effective health technologies through better regulation, according to a statement for Australia's Department of Health and Ageing.

"There are some recommendations in the report that will benefit government, industry and ultimately patients," said pharmaceutical trade group Medicines Australia's chief executive, Brendan Shaw. "By and large, the experiment of a joint review by the Departments of Health and Ageing, and Finance and Deregulation, under the Better Regulation Ministerial Partnerships initiative, has worked well,' he stated.