The objective

Epposi's Advanced Innovation Programme in Health Technology Assessment (AIP-HTA) was launched in 2011 with the aim of:

• identifying deficiencies in current HTA policies and structures
• developing a new framework which can deliver better outcomes for all stakeholders.

Following a series of consultation meetings with expert and interested stakeholders from patients' organisations, science, industry, HTA agencies and policy-makers during the course of 2010 and 2011, the consensus was that the programme should focus on how to effect attitudinal as well as systemic change in order for a societal benefits approach to HTA to be adopted, which can take better account of smaller, specific patient groups across Europe, as well as the needs of the wider populations.

This was framed as a core question which the AIP-HTA should address:

"How can HTA agencies at national level consider societal benefits as an integral element of their HTA core model which positively contribute not only to the realisation of better health outcomes for EU citizens, but also to a smart sustainable economy?"

Over the course of the next three years, the AIP-HTA aims to develop an innovative European framework for a societal benefits approach to HTA with workable templates for implementation at national level.

Programme Participants

Observer members
European Commission – DG Health and Consumers (Sanco)
European Parliament