Australia is well placed to again lead the world in health technology assessment
Australia led the world in 1993 when it introduced the so-called “fourth hurdle” of economic evaluation into the approvals process for drugs (in addition to the usual regulatory “hurdles” of quality, safety, and efficacy).1 We are among the dozen or so developed countries that had invested in health technology assessment (HTA) since the early 1980s, but it was the requirement of a favourable economic evaluation that attracted international attention to HTA in Australia.2 While economic evaluation had always been considered a component of HTA, a policy requiring evidence of cost-effectiveness was groundbreaking.3
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I am grateful to Judith Healy, Director of RegHealth Program, Regulatory Institutions Network (RegNet), Research School of Social Sciences, Australian National University, for comments and suggestions on a draft of this article.
Terri Jackson has served as a member of the Medical Services Advisory Committee since 1998.