BIVDA Welcomes Publication of Medtech Funding Mandate
BIVDA, the UK trade association for in vitro diagnostics companies, has welcomed the publication of the Medtech Funding Mandate. In the NHS Long Term Plan, NHS England and NHS Improvement outlined how research and innovation would drive better outcomes and experience for patients. An important element of this was the commitment to introduce a MedTech Funding Mandate to accelerate the uptake of selected National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)-approved, cost-saving medical devices, diagnostics and digital products in the NHS, meaning patients will get access to these technologies faster. The policy will come into effect from 1st April 2021.
To qualify under the Mandate, products must demonstrate that;
- they are effective: demonstrated through a positive NICE MTG or DG;
- deliver material savings to the NHS: the benefits of the innovation are over £1 million over five years for the population of England;
- are cost-saving in-year: NICE modelling demonstrates a net saving in the first 12 months of implementing the technology;
- are affordable to the NHS: the budget impact should not exceed £20 million, in any of the first three years.
The Mandate policy will be published annually in December following a review and feedback improvement cycle, which will become effective on 1st April the following year. A list of technologies that meet the MedTech Funding Mandate criteria will be published before the end of July alongside with accompanying support to providers to help adopt these technologies as soon as possible.
Commenting on the launch, BIVDA Chief Executive Doris-Ann Williams said “The publication of the Mandate is an opportunity to celebrate the UK as a leader in technologies for health and care. This new system will allow pioneering IVD devices a faster and easier route to market, that is to patients, while helping the NHS make cost-effective decisions on high quality care.
BIVDA and our members have been closely involved in the development of the Mandate and it is extremely positive to see diagnostics covered in the first wave of approaches – a test to help rule out pre-eclampsia. We will be working closely with NHS partners as the Mandate rolls out to ensure more pioneering IVD tests are included.”
BIVDA Executive Chair Darren Stenlake commented;
“Slow adoption of new technologies has always been an issue in the IVD market. We have raised this as a concern a number of times and have been pushing for an adoption support scheme for IVDs at the All Party Group for Life Sciences for which BIVDA co-provides the secretariat. I am very pleased to see this taken seriously, for NICE to get involved and support the scheme, for the work to pay off and for our members to finally have the opportunity to see the benefits.”
Richard Hames, BIVDA Board Member and Chair of the Procurement Working Party said;
“The Medtech Funding Mandate is a good start in encouraging a more rapid uptake of diagnostic tests in the health service – despite costs being much lower than for most drugs, some devices can currently take up to ten years before they can benefit patients. We hope this innovative approach will keep on evolving over the coming years to ensure that cost-effective and clinically efficacious tests reach the front line as soon as is possible.”
ENDS
For more information please contact External Affairs Manager Jon Harrison on jonh@bivda.org.uk