The new Dutch economic evaluation guideline was presented yesterday. Panaxea attended this meeting to be aware of this new guideline, and get familiair with the differences between this guideline and the previous edition.

The guideline differs in many aspects from the 2006 version. We compiled a list of three changes that we think that are most relevant sharing with you:

1. As stated in our preview, the new guideline is not only focussing on pharma anymore. Five other fields, of which medical device is one, have their combined chapter in the guideline. However, yesterday Maarten IJzerman told the audience that the final guideline focused less on these other fields than they were aiming for when the process of renewing the guideline started. He stated that the this is one of the most important improving fields when the guideline will be renewed again in a couple of years.
2. An economic evaluation should include all indirect medical costs. This means, that if a new intervention can extend life, medical costs that are made after this intervention need to be included in the analysis as well (e.g. costs of heart diseases should be included for a intervention that extends the life of cancer patients). The theory behind this switch in horizon and costs that should be included is complex, but it implicates a shift from highly valuing interventions that creat life-years to interventions that create QALYs.
3. The Budget Impact Analysis (BIA) got it’s own chapter in the guideline. Because the BIA is increasingly used in health care, it is important to create guidelines for the set-up of a BIA, to ensure that the analysis keeps up to a certain level. Presenter Marcel Dijkgraaf of the Academic Medical Center (AMC) in Amsterdam emphasized the importance of involve the budget holder in the set-up of the analysis, to ensure that all important elements are taken into account.

The new guideline changed in more aspects than these three. If you want to read the new guideline, you can use this link. If you have any questions about this guideline, don’t hesitate to contact us.