Japanese Ministry Officials and Health Economics Researchers Visit CHE

The delegation, which comprised officials from the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MHW), the National Institute of Public Health and university-based researchers has been visiting UK academic groups and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) to gain an understanding of how academic centres like CHE and CRD at York support the activities of NICE’s Technology Appraisal process. Japan formally implemented a cost-effectiveness evaluation system for new technologies in April 2019 (Hasegawa et al, 2020). 

Although there are several differences between the health technology assessment approaches in England and Japan, a common feature is that, like NICE, the MHW is looking to academic groups to support the process, by evaluating manufacturers’ submissions. The visit afforded the opportunity for a deep and wide-ranging discussion of CHE’s experience as one of NICE’s Evidence Review Groups, the benefits the work generates for researchers and the University, and the challenges that arise. 

This was the second Japanese delegation that CHE has received in the past two years. The visits have led to interesting discussions about the contribution that academic institutions can, and do, make to decision-making in important sectors like health care. In addition to the contribution to NICE’s work as an Evidence Review Group, several researchers in CHE are members of NICE’s decision-making committees. 

• Hasegawa M, Komoto S, Shiroiwa T, Fucada T. Formal implementation of cost-effectiveness evaluations in japan: a unique health technology assessment system. Value in Health 2020;23:43-51.