[Report and Recommendations] The 2nd Global Expert Meeting of The “Rebalancing National Health Systems: Innovation and Sustainability” Series—The Current Status, Challenges, and Opportunities of Health Technology Assessment (HTA) in Japan (October 5, 2017)
date : 4/12/2018
Tags: Future of the Health Care System, Innovation and Sustainability
![[Report and Recommendations] The 2nd Global Expert Meeting of The “Rebalancing National Health Systems: Innovation and Sustainability” Series—The Current Status, Challenges, and Opportunities of Health Technology Assessment (HTA) in Japan (October 5, 2017)](https://hgpi.org/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/47a04d18fbba4ebab71e26c2491bb870.png)


- HTA discussions tend to revolve around cost containment, including cost-benefit analyses. Stakeholders need to re-acknowledge the viewpoint that HTA is meant to contribute fundamentally to the interests of the public and patients.
- In order to realize value-based healthcare for patients, stakeholders should further discuss how to improve the quality of medical technology and medical services as a whole.
- There are cases where HTA results do not lead to results that are in the best interest of patients. Stakeholders should consider evaluation methods that are comprehensive and include clinical practice viewpoints (for example, although on the one hand such innovations as the replacement of injectable drugs with oral drugs are now taking place, this innovation has also created new problems, such as the requirement that patients see multiple doctors in different departments before they can receive a prescription for oral drugs).
- While maintaining and enhancing the R&D environment for medical devices and pharmaceuticals with excellent HTA results, stakeholders should also consider effectiveness and efficiency in the entire healthcare system and work to solve problems related to unused drugs and polypharmacy issues by promoting generics, biosimilars, and so on.
- Yasuhiro Suzuki (Chief Medical & Global Health Officer, Vice-Minister for Health, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare)

- Shinya Saito (Professor, Graduate School of Health Sciences, Okayama University/ President, ISPOR Japan)

Prof. Saito shared his views on the academic history of health technology assessment (HTA), the usage of HTA, and points to consider regarding the introduction of HTA into Japan.
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- Manabu Akazawa (Professor, Meiji Pharmaceutical University, Department of Public Health and Epidemiology)
- Ataru Igarashi (Associate Professor, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Tokyo)
- Mamoru Ichikawa (Principal Program Director, Production Center I Science Programs Division, Program Production Department, Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK))
- Eun-Young Bae (Associate Professor, School of Pharmacy, Gyeongsang National University)
- Yoshie Onishi (Director, Japan Operations, Creativ Ceutical)
- Chris Hourigan (President, Janssen Pharmaceutical K.K.)
- Kevin Haninger (Deputy Vice President, International Advocacy, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America(PhRMA))
- Koen Torfs (VP Global Reimbursement & Real World Evidence, Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson)
- Yasushi Goto (Department of Respiratory Medicine, National Cancer Center Hospital)
- Hidehito Kotani (President, Panasonic healthcare Holdings Co., Ltd., President, CEO, CTO, Panasonic Healthcare Co., Ltd.)
- Shinya Saito (Professor, Graduate School of Health Sciences, Okayama University/ President, ISPOR JAPAN)
- Naomi Sakurai (President, Cancer Solutions Co., Ltd. / Patient Representative, Cancer Control Promotion Council)
- Takeru Shiroiwa (Senior Researcher, Department of Health and Welfare Services, National Institute of Public Health)
- Makoto Tamura (Director, Medical Technology Policy Institute American Medical Device and Diagnostic Manufacturers’ Association (AMDD) / Founder and CEO, Healthcare System Planning Institute)
- Hiroshi Nakamura (Professor, Business Environment, Graduate School of Business Administration, Keio University)
- Ryu Niki (Adviser and Professor, Nihon Fukushi University)
- Philippe Fauchet (Vice Chairman, European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA) Japan/ Chairman, GlaxoSmithKline K.K.))
- Yoshiyuki Majima (President, Pancreatic Cancer Action Network Japan)
- Junichi Matsumoto (Executive Board Member, Japan Medical Association)
- Kaoru Manabe (Director, Medical Education Division, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT))
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- Ryoji Noritake (President, Health and Global Policy Institute)
- Joji Sugawara (Associate, Health and Global Policy Institute)

- Discussion Point 1: The Need to Create a System to Collect High-Quality Data
- Discussion Point 2: The Possibility of Analyzing and Evaluating Data Without Determining WTP
- Discussion Point 3: The Need for Scientific and Fair Communication Between Companies and Secondary Analysis Groups
- Discussion Point 4: The Need to Foster Personnel Who Can Work Actively as Analysts in Secondary Analysis Groups
- Discussion Point 5: The Need to Publicize Secondary Analysis Results, and How that Should be Done
- Discussion Point 6: The Need to Secure Fairness and Transparency in Appraisal Methods
- Discussion Point 7: The Need to Take a Different Approaches for Analysis and Appraisal Depending on Whether a Medical Devices or Pharmaceutical is Being Considered
- Discussion Point 8: The Need to Set a Clear Policy on Price Adjustments, Including Whether or Not to Directly Reflect HTA Results in the Pricing System
- Discussion Point 9: The Need to Clarify Public Accountability and How to Accomplish That (Discussions, Evaluation Methods, How to Present Prices, etc.)
- Discussion Point 10: The Need for Discussion on a System that Could Control the Impact of Products that are More Cost-Effective than their Competitors Yet Also More Expensive in Absolute Terms, Dramatically Impacting Health System Finances
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