Health Technology Assessment: Reflections from the Antipodes

Abstract

• Section I is largely descriptive and provides a brief inventory of the agencies that use health technology assessment (HTA) in Australia. First, the use of HTA by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) is discussed. The TGA is the principal agency regulating the availability and marketing of therapeutic products in Australia. An overview of the structure of the health-care system in Australia is then presented to provide a basis for understanding the subsequent discussion on the use of HTA by reimbursement agencies in Australia. The agencies in Australia that have the most highly developed and formalized systems incorporating HTA, including economic evaluation, are the Medical Services Advisory Committee (MSAC) and the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC). Thus, further details of the requirements of assessments that are undertaken to inform reimbursement decisions made by these committees are then presented. • In Section II, the Australian situation with regard to a number of current issues in the conduct and use of HTA is discussed and represents our personal views. • Section III is judgmental and represents our personal views on lessons learned from the HTA experience in Australia. It discusses the Australian situation with regard to a number of current issues in the conduct and use of HTA.