PURPOSE: To present the FINOSE collaboration formed by four Nordic countries to perform joint health technology assessment (HTA), one of several regional activities created to collaborate on joint assessments.
DESCRIPTION: There has long been a growing number of new pharmaceuticals in need of HTA for reimbursement decisions, and there is no sign of the numbers declining in the future. Therefore, HTA agencies are looking for more efficient ways to conduct assessments and make reimbursement decisions while maintaining the rigor and quality of the assessments. One way to achieve this is through joint HTA within Europe or between countries, which allows for sharing of resources and knowledge between HTA agencies.
FINOSE is one such initiative, launched in 2018 by the Finnish Medicines Agency (Fimea), the Norwegian Medicines Agency (NoMA), and the Dental and Pharmaceutical Benefits Agency (TLV) in Sweden. In May 2023, the collaboration was expanded by the inclusion of the Danish Medicines Council (DMC). While the European regulation on HTA focuses on the requirements of HTAs with respect to clinical evidence, FINOSE focuses primarily on the health economic assessment. The FINOSE process has now been used for a number of joint HTA reports. The reports have been used for price negotiations and national decision-making in the respective countries.
The discussion lead will start by giving a short introduction and introducing the presenters. The presenters will provide an overview of the FINOSE process, learnings from completed projects, as well as the outlook for FINOSE going forward. The session will benefit those who are working on submissions to the Nordic countries or those who would like to identify learnings for joint appraisals in other countries and will finish with a panel discussion and audience participation.
