EU4Health projects supporting patients’ involvement in Health Technology Assessments

The EU Health Technology Assessment Regulation (HTAR) addresses some main issues in how Europe evaluates and provides access to new health technologies such as medicines, medical devices and diagnostic tools – including the fragmentation, inefficiency and inequality of the system. The HTAR establishes a coordinated EU-wide approach to assess the clinical efficacy of these technologies before pricing and reimbursement decisions by national healthcare systems.  

With national HTA bodies conducting their own assessments in each EU country, work is often repeated and inconsistent and can lead to delays for patients. Patients across the EU also face unequal access to medicines and medical devices, as well as differences in reimbursements, depending on the different national assessments. The HTAR introduces mandatory joint clinical assessments and includes patient and clinical expert input, representing an ambitious attempt to create a more efficient, transparent and patient-centred HTA system in Europe. 

The EU4Health programme is funding projects that are supporting the implementation of this Regulation and its positive impacts on patients’ lives, by creating training to facilitate the involvement of patients in HTA processes.  

The e-learning course developed by the HTA4Patients project explains the new HTA Regulation and its implications for patients. This has been: 

• Accessed by almost 5000 participants (even after the conclusion of the project), out of which a total of 188 fully completed the course and obtained the related certificates (exceeding initial targets);
• Translated into 8 languages (FR, DE, ES, EL, CZ, PT, IT, NL), exceeding the initial target of 5 languages, increasing accessibility across multiple countries. 

Further material has been developed in 9 languages, to be used as a starting point for national training. The project has also updated existing training developed by the European Patients’ Academy on Therapeutic Innovation (EUPATI), a key actor for patient engagement in Europe. Finally, HTA4Patients trained 40 people as HTA ambassadors, who will serve as knowledge multipliers within their national and European patient communities.  

Capacity building and skill development programmes were also created by the project EUCAPA. More specifically, the project has developed three different courses for patients to participate in joint scientific consultations and joint clinical assessments: 

• Introductory training (122 participants from 24 countries);
• Fast-track training (134 participants from 33 different countries);
• Extended training (56 participants from 20 different countries). 

The introductory training remains available on the project’s website. EUCAPA has also established a network of trained patients and patient representatives and a database to keep them informed about future activities. 

Relevant links 

HTA4Patients on DG SANTE’s website 

HTA4Patients eLearning

EUCAPA Introductory training

Background 

EU4Health is the fourth and largest of the EU health programmes. The EU4Health programme goes beyond an ambitious response to the COVID-19 crisis to address the resilience of European healthcare systems. The programme provides funding to national authorities, health organisations and other bodies through grants and public procurement, contributing to a healthier Europe.  

HaDEA manages the vast majority of the total EU4Health budget and implements the programme by managing calls for proposals and tenders from 2021 to 2027.