Medilink

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) is launching a new programme focusing specifically on the evaluation of innovative medical technologies, so products can be used more quickly and consistently by the NHS, ensuring patients feel the benefits faster.

The Evaluation Pathway Programme will both complement and operate in conjunction with NICE’s existing technology appraisal system, which will continue to evaluate new pharmaceutical and biotechnology products, clearing the complicated pathway in reaching the NHS.

The types of products which might be included are medical devices that deliver treatment such as those implanted during surgical procedures, technologies that give greater independence to patients, and diagnostic devices or tests used to detect or monitor medical conditions.

Andrew Dillon, Chief Executive of NICE said: “We’re very pleased to announce that the Evaluation Pathway Programme for Medical Technologies is underway. ‘High quality care for all’ acknowledged the need to simplify the pathway by which medical technologies pass from development into wider use, and develop ways to benchmark and monitor uptake. This new programme takes forward that vision, and we look forward to helping patients and the NHS to benefit more quickly and consistently from innovative medical technologies.”

The Evaluation Pathway Programme will support the newly created Medical Technologies Advisory Committee (MTAC). MTAC will identify and select innovative medical technologies and route them through the appropriate NICE guidance programme, as well as developing its own guidance.

Mark Samuels, British In-Vitro Diagnostics Association (BIVDA) said: “The creation of the Evaluation Pathway Programme has been a collaborative process, bringing together expertise from NICE, the medical technologies industry, the Department of Health and the Centre for Evidence-based Purchasing. This is a significant development in the relationship between industry and NICE, which can only benefit the NHS. The programme will make it easier for the NHS to understand which new medical technologies, including devices and diagnostics, potentially offer significant benefits to patients.”