UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) Scientific Advice service is set to launch a new evidence tool called Medtech Early Technical Assessment (META) for allowing faster patient access to medical technology product developers.

Set to launch on 3 July, the new online tool is designed to aid companies in understanding and generating evidence on the clinical and cost efficacy of their products.

Developed in collaboration with Greater Manchester Academic Health Science Network, the tool is claimed to detect the evidence and the gaps required to be filled for better payer satisfaction.

"We want to help healthcare systems get access to more products that meet such criteria and help companies develop these technologies and relevant evidence to demonstrate their value to patients and payers."

NICE Scientific Advice head Leeza Osipenko said: “We want to help healthcare systems get access to more products that meet such criteria and help companies develop these technologies and relevant evidence to demonstrate their value to patients and payers.

“NICE Scientific Advice is committed to supporting small and medium-sized enterprises, charities and academic groups, so we’ve designed META to ensure it’s both affordable and flexible, however, we hope that larger enterprises also find the META tool of interest and value for their Medtech pipelines.”

The tool can also be used by Medtech company partner organisations such as Academic Health Science Networks, Healthcare Technology Consortiums and consultancies, for their own purpose or to assist product developers in preparing products for a healthcare setting.

The wider accessibility is expected to enable NICE to offer the tool in markets outside the UK as well.


Image: NICE develops new evidence tool for Medtech firms. Photo: courtesy of National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.