More than 200 researchers investigating colon cancer tumors have found genetic vulnerabilities that could lead to powerful new treatments. The hope is that drugs designed to strike these weak spots will eventually stop a cancer that is now almost inevitably fatal once it has spread.Scientists increa

With the introduction of the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in Asian countries, priority-setting and HTA has become increasingly important.  However, only in the past decade has HTA been used to inform countries’ health programs and policies. As such, HTA agencies are relatively new in Asia.  In 20

What definition of HTA do you subscribe to?Mark: HTA is a term that is used quite loosely. It seems that the formal definition is to provide an assessment of medical technologies using different perspectives including clinical, economic, ethical and technical. But I think the meaning that it has dev

(HITAP, Thailand) On 23-25 January 2017, delegates from the Department of Health Research (DHR), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, visited HITAP to learn about the Health Technology Assessment (HTA) system in Thailand. During the discussion, the application of the Thai expe

The recent Indonesia visit is an illustration of iDSI’s ongoing commitment to building capacity in developing countries. HITAP visits help national bodies learn how to conduct Health Technology Assessments, strengthening decision-making processes and enabling gains in the quantity and quality of hea

The past few years have seen significant progress in the development of Health Technology Assessment (HTA) in China. The China National Health Development Research Center (CNHDRC), the national focal point for HTA in China, has stepped up efforts to roll out HTA activities in many ways in order to s

Kenya’s President, His Excellency Uhuru Kenyatta has committed his government to attaining the “Big Four” agenda on 1) Food security, 2) Affordable housing, 3) Manufacturing, and 4) affordable healthcare for all by 2022. This agenda is linked to Kenya’s Vision 2030 which sought to achieve Universal

If we raise the word “addiction” to you, what are the things you are thinking of? Ecstasy? Methamphetamine? Cannabis? That is true. Addiction normally refers to drug addiction or substances that we take into our body and cause desire to retake it again. Addiction also harms both physical and mental

Clare True had autism and periodic seizures, but nothing prepared her family for Christmas Eve in 2006, when the 26-year-old went to bed after watching a movie and stopped breathing.“I got home from a party, went to check on her just after midnight, and she was — she was gone,” said her mother, Jane

To learn how best to prescribe powerful drugs to children, Congress passed a law in the 1990s that rewarded drug makers for conducting clinical studies involving children. Among the incentives for cooperating companies was a possible six-month extension of protection from generic competition after a