NICE launches scientific advice tie-up with Canadian agency

The UK’s cost-effectiveness regulator NICE and the its counterpart in Canada have launched a new collaboration to offer parallel scientific advice to the life sciences industry.

NICE said it had joined with Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technology in Health (CADTH), in the joint scheme that aims to help drug developers gather cost-effectiveness data during the clinical trial process.

Scientific advice helps companies develop evidence that demonstrates the value of a technology by providing detailed feedback on their clinical and economic evidence generation plans, using expert opinion from a range of contributors including clinicians, health economists and patient representatives.

The two health technology assessment (HTA) agencies have many methodologies in common and value the opportunity for early engagement with companies targeting the English and Canadian markets.

The paid-for advice will help those companies prepare for future health technology assessments by answering their questions and providing key insight on their clinical and health economic development plans.

This parallel advice service features a joint summary, highlighting areas of synergy from the two agencies, and two separate advice reports from NICE and CADTH.

Jeanette Kusel, director of NICE Scientific Advice said: “We recognise the inherent difficulties faced by developers in designing clinical trial programmes that meet the precise requirements of multiple international markets. This new collaboration with CADTH uses the synergies between the English and Canadian systems and provides companies with comprehensive and practical advice from both countries through a single, streamlined process.”

Michelle Mujoomdar, acting vice president, evidence standards, CADTH said: “This exciting new international collaboration between two established HTA bodies will help pharmaceutical companies develop relevant evidence for CADTH and NICE while streamlining the process of obtaining advice in two distinct markets.”

Applications from pharmaceutical companies for parallel scientific advice are now being accepted.

Pharmaceutical companies who are interested in learning more about this opportunity are encouraged to contact CADTH at scientificadvice@cadth.ca.