Early Health Technology Assessment (HTA) can provide information and guidance since the research and development phase on how well an innovation must perform and in which aspects to meet the needs of the market or health insurance schemes, enhancing the success rate of innovation development.
Recognising the importance of early HTA, the Health Intervention and Technology Assessment Program Foundation (HITAP Foundation) in collaboration with the School and other partner agencies including the Thailand Science Research and Innovation (TSRI), the Thailand Center of Excellence for Life Sciences (TCELS), and the National Health Security Office (NHSO) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on “Collaboration on Priority Setting and Early Health Technology Assessment of Health Innovations in Thailand” on 19 June 2023 in Bangkok.
A new research unit which specialises in early HTA, Medical Innovation Development and Assessment Support (MIDAS), was also established to support and advance medical innovation development by fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, identifying promising medical technologies, promoting cutting-edge research, facilitating translational efforts, and demonstrating the economic value of early-stage medical innovations. The operation of MIDAS will be supported by HITAP and the School.
Core services:
- Identify the disease areas to prioritise and scan for potential health innovation for the prioritised disease areas.
- Identify target product profiles (TPPs) of health innovation fitting Thailand healthcare system.
- Provide early HTA services to health technology innovators, including identifying TPPs, early health economic modelling, clinical trial design amongst others.
- Training and capacity building of early HTA in Thailand and beyond.
Upcoming research:
- Prioritise disease areas for medical innovation development in Thailand.
- Identify target product profiles (TPPs) of health innovation fitting Thailand healthcare system.
Workshop planned in the end of the year:
- A workshop on early health technology assessment is planned for the end of 2023.
A workshop entitled “Fruitful Research: How to Make Health Innovation Worthwhile” was also conducted on 19 June 2023 by MIDAS. This dynamic event aimed to equip healthcare professionals, researchers, policymakers and medical innovators with foundations for understanding early HTA. Participants explored key concepts, methodologies, and practical approaches, engaging in hands-on exercises and group discussions.
Dr Yot Teerawattananon, Secretary General of the HITAP Foundation, and Dr Wang Yi, Assistant Professor at the NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, shared their knowledge and experience on early HTA, covering topics such as, what makes a health innovation “desirable” and “marketable”, and how to know if it is worth investing in research and development of a certain health innovation.
Read the full press release here.