HTA projects

All HTA projects in progress or completed are listed below. Published here in the course of each project are the protocol and the HTA report, together with the feedback received from stakeholders. The reports are written in English (with summaries in French, German and Italian).

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16.07.2024

Treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee and the hip via glucocorticoid injection

Osteoarthritis of the knee and the hip are two of the most common joint diseases among adults. The damage to the joint’s cartilage causes pain and restricts mobility. One treatment of knee and hip osteoarthritis entails administering injections of glucocorticoids (steroid hormones) into the joint. The report concludes that the benefits of glucocorticoid injection treatment after three months could not be demonstrated, but improvements after one month could be seen. Given the size of the data corpus used, it is unclear whether the benefits observed could be extrapolated to the entire population.

12.07.2024

Tumour treating fields (TTFields) for the treatment of glioblastoma

Glioblastoma is an aggressive form of brain tumour in adults. The standard treatment for a newly diagnosed glioblastoma consists of surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. There is an additional treatment option in the form of tumour treating fields (TTFields). In Switzerland, the costs of this therapy are reimbursed subject to conditions until the first progression of the tumour. The report concludes that the use of TTFields is likely to have a positive effect on survival. At the same time, the therapy results in additional costs in the healthcare system.

09.07.2024

Immunotherapy with CAR-T cells to treat blood cancer and lymph node cancer

The different forms of B-cell lymphoma are the most common malignant types of lymph node cancer among adults. B-cell leukaemia is the most common malignant form of blood cancer among children and young adults. The compulsory health insurance will assume third-line therapy costs for different types of B-cell lymphoma among adults and B-cell leukaemia among children and young adults with the CAR-T cell therapies Yescarta® and Kymriah® on a provisional basis until the end of 2024. The report concludes that given the low study quality, the significance of the available data with regard to the effectiveness and safety of CAR-T cell therapies is in general very low. Furthermore, no reliable conclusions can be drawn about the cost-benefit ratio based on the available data.

27.06.2024

Trikafta® for the treatment of patients with cystic fibrosis

Cystic fibrosis is a hereditary metabolic disease, in which a defective gene leads to the formation of mucus in the lungs, pancreas and intestines. If untreated, the disease is associated with reduced life expectancy. In Switzerland, since 2021, the drug Trikafta® has been authorised for the treatment of patients aged 6 years and older who have at least one copy of the F508del mutation in the CFTR gene. It is to be reimbursed under the mandatory health insurance scheme for a limited period (until 31 January 2025). The report concludes that there are uncertainties regarding the cost-effectiveness of treatment with Trikafta® in the scenarios analysed. However, the cost-effectiveness is mainly determined by the recurrent annual treatment costs. The total budget impact of treating all patients aged 6 and over would be around CHF 160 million per year.

28.05.2024

Multigene-expression tests for breast cancer

Multigene-expression tests for breast cancer are covered by compulsory health insurance subject to certain conditions. An HTA report has been commissioned to evaluate the mandatory reimbursement of multigene-expression tests for early-stage breast cancer in order to examine the effectiveness, security, cost-efficiency and budgetary effects as well as the ethical, legal, societal and organizational aspects.

08.03.2024

Betahistine or cinnarizine with or without dimenhydrinate for Ménière’s disease/syndrome and symptoms of vestibular vertigo and/or tinnitus

In Switzerland, betahistine and cinnarizine are reimbursed by the mandatory health insurance for patients experiencing symptoms of vertigo, tinnitus, and hearing loss caused by conditions such as Ménière’s Disease and others. Cinnarizine combined with dimenhydrinate is reimbursed for the symptomatic treatment of transient vertigo. The clinical effectiveness of these drugs is unclear.

20.10.2023

Benzodiazepines for anxiety disorders

This topic is currently in development. As soon as reports on this topic are available, they will be published here.

20.10.2023

Thermoablation for benign thyroid nodules

This topic is currently in development. As soon as reports on this topic are available, they will be published here.

20.10.2023

Injection therapies with corticosteroids for chronic tendinopathy or enthesopathy

This topic is currently in development. As soon as reports on this topic are available, they will be published here.

20.10.2023

Superficial/deep heat in physiotherapy for musculoskeletal conditions

This topic is currently in development. As soon as reports on this topic are available, they will be published here.

20.10.2023

Bronchial thermoplasty for severe asthma

This topic is currently in development. As soon as reports on this topic are available, they will be published here.

20.10.2023

Valerian extracts for sleep disorders, anxiety or restlessness

This topic is currently in development. As soon as reports on this topic are available, they will be published here.

22.09.2023

Prevention of chronic and episodic migraine with CGRP antagonists

Various treatment options are available for prevention of chronic and episodic migraine. In addition to beta blockers, calcium antagonists and antidepressants, these include monoclonal antibodies known as CGRPs. The report concludes that the use of CGRP antagonists reduced the number of migraine days overall, and more than halved the number of migraine days and improved the quality of life of more people versus placebo and supportive measures in the control group. A reduction in the price of CGRP antagonists would significantly improve the cost-benefit ratio and thus reduce the impact on the cost budget.

15.08.2023

Comparison of surgical improvement of vascular blood flow with drug therapy in subjects with chronic cardiovascular disease

In addition to medication, surgical interventions to improve vascular blood flow are another means used to treat chronic cardiovascular disease. Surgeons will either perform heart bypass surgery or insert tubular vascular stents into the narrowed blood vessels. The report concludes that heart bypass surgery is superior to drug therapy alone. For tubular vascular stents, the benefit was less clear and only demonstrated in the short term.

28.07.2023

Treatment duration of Trastuzumab in early HER2-positive breast cancer

The drugs trastuzumab and pertuzumab are used in Switzerland to treat breast cancer if cancer cells overexpress the HER2 receptor. The approved treatment duration of trastuzumab is a maximum of 12 months and can be started before or after surgical removal of cancer cells. An HTA report was commissioned to evaluate the reimbursement requirement with the aim of reviewing the efficacy, safety, cost-effectiveness and budgetary impact.

23.06.2023

Folate tests for suspected folate deficiency

This HTA report examines the safety, the effectiveness, the costs and the cost-effectiveness of conducting folate tests on symptom-free persons and on persons for whom symptoms, medical problems or other factors suggest a possible folate deficiency. The report further examines ethical, social and organisational issues in connection with folate testing.

07.06.2023

Oral anticoagulants for the prevention of stroke and systemic embolism in people with non-valvular atrial fibrillation

Oral anticoagulants are administered to persons with atrial fibrillation to prevent strokes. As part of an HTA, the use of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) was compared to that of vitamin K antagonists (VKAs). Studies suggest that DOACs are slightly more effective than VKAs in total mortality terms. Improvements were observed in the prevention of bleeding, while the difference between the two types of anticoagulant was only minor in stroke prevention terms. While more expensive, DOACs showed a superior benefit-cost ratio compared to VKAs.

11.11.2022

Hormone tests in suspected thyroid dysfunction

Where thyroid dysfunction is suspected, testing for thyroid hormones may provide useful insights. Two test approaches exist: the one-step test measures thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and other thyroid hormones in a single step, while the two-step approach measures just the TSH to begin with. The report concludes that, from a clinical perspective, using the two-step testing approach carries only a low risk of missing cases of thyroid dysfunction. In terms of costs, the two-step approach represented a cost saving compared with the one-step approach.

28.10.2022

Use of the hormone Levothyroxine to treat a slightly underactive thyroid gland

One sign of a slightly underactive thyroid gland is a raised level of the hormone which stimulates the thyroid – known as thyroid-stimulating hormone, or TSH. The hormone levels in the thyroid are still within the normal range at this stage and symptoms are only minimal. To treat this condition in Switzerland, a manufactured form of the body’s own thyroid hormone is used – the hormone Levothyroxine. The report concludes that treatment with Levothyroxine successfully reduces the level of the TSH hormone, but does not reduce the associated complaints or side effects.

21.10.2022

Medications against dementia in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson's disease

This HTA report investigates the efficacy of various anti-dementia medications for the treatment of dementia symptoms in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson's disease. Literature searches found that in mild to moderate and in some cases also in advanced dementia in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson's disease, the anti-dementia medications used had a certain positive effect, for example on cognitive abilities, compared to placebo. Considered over a longer period, the cost/benefit ratio for most of the anti-dementia medications was positive.

06.05.2022

Comparison of dosing schedules for drugs to treat bone metastases

Cancer sufferers with bone metastases receive drugs on a monthly basis to reduce the risk of fractures and the release of excess calcium into the bloodstream. The latest studies indicate that administering the drugs only every three months rather than every month is similarly effective but is associated with a lower risk of side effects. Comparing trimonthly to monthly dosing, the analyses only showed minimal differences in terms of potential side effects while the efficacy was the same. If doctors treated patients on a trimonthly dosing interval from the outset, this would result in potential savings of over CHF 53 million in the next five years.

06.05.2022

Denosumab (Prolia®) for the treatment of osteoporosis

Denosumab (Prolia®) is used to treat bone loss, particularly among women after the menopause and people who are at a higher risk of breaking bones or who are undergoing certain cancer treatments. In 2017 there were reports that stopping therapy with denosumab could lead to excessive counter-reactions such as loss of bone density and a greater risk of broken bones in the area of the spine. The report concludes that among most of the patient groups treated, denosumab achieved similar effects to other therapies and displayed a similar degree of safety.

09.02.2022

Sedative and sleep-promoting medicines for the treatment of chronic sleep disorders

The group of sedative and sleep-promoting medicines is used in sleep disorders in order to alleviate persistent episodes of tension and anxiety. According to the product information they should not be prescribed for longer than four weeks. According to the report, the evidence indicated that the drugs remain effective to a certain extent and are safe even during long-term use, but that they are not necessarily cost efficient. The use of sedative and sleep-promoting medicines leads to dependency and increasing doses.

02.11.2021

Vitamin B12 tests

The use of vitamin B12 tests in Switzerland has risen sharply in recent years. The aim of the report was to identify the advantages and disadvantages of various vitamin B12 tests and establish whether tests are needed at all before dispensing vitamin B12. The report concludes that the existing findings do not indicate whether a vitamin B12 test or test combination should be used, and if so which ones, or whether the tests have any influence on the treatment.

16.09.2021

Magnesium supplements

This topic is currently in development. As soon as reports on this topic are available, they will be published here.

Examples for search terms:
osteoarthritis or osteo* or *arthritis

Last modification 03.05.2024

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