NICE has today (Monday, 6 November) launched its refreshed support service for the life sciences sector, NICE Advice. The service will provide accurate and reliable scientific and strategic advice, education, and NHS insights to pharmaceutical and healthtech companies. It aims to help companies succeed, so that more patients gain access to the best treatments and care.
NICE Advice offers pharmaceutical and healthtech companies the same highly valued scientific advice and health system engagement meetings provided by NICE’s previous support services, NICE Scientific Advice and the Office for Market Access.
It is now much easier to access, through one single service and a refreshed website, and offers greater flexibility to everyone using it. Healthtech companies will also now benefit from a more tailored support offer, that is more closely aligned to their pace of development and budget.
As England’s health technology assessment body and the only national body to appraise individual medicines or devices, NICE possesses a unique position to assist life sciences companies in effectively demonstrating the value of their products.
Receiving accurate and reliable advice and insights direct from NICE will help companies get their evidence and strategy right first time so they can meet the standards needed for their product to gain nationwide market entry.
NICE’s trusted, unrivalled expertise covers all stages of developing a new technology, from determining the value of the product, to gathering evidence and gaining market access, so new and innovative products can be adopted quickly.
NICE Advice offers 3 types of support, which can be tailored to the needs and budget of individual companies:
- Advice - Identifying gaps in evidence, providing actionable technical scientific advice on clinical and economic evidence plans, and quality-checking economic models.
- Insight – facilitating access to valuable insight, ranging from a one-hour session with a NICE expert to a three-hour health system engagement meeting with a range of experts. Insight gained can help identify a suitable path to market or address complex market access challenges.
- Education – A range of free webinars and paid seminars, delivered online or in-person. These cover a broad range of topics relating to NICE’s work including evidence generation, health economic modelling, NICE evaluations and other topics in the world of health technology assessment and evidence-based healthcare.
These services are confidential and are provided independently of NICE's guidance producing programmes to ensure there are no conflicts of interest.
Mark Chapman, interim director of medical technology and digital evaluation at NICE, said: “NICE Advice provides a single point of contact for individuals and organisations across the life sciences sector. By coming to us, they’ll gain access to accurate, reliable and actionable advice, NHS insights and education they can trust. We want to help companies succeed, so that more patients gain access to the best treatments and care.
“By engaging with NICE Advice, organisations can benefit from our unrivalled expertise in health technology assessment, depth of knowledge, honest feedback and broad NHS connections.”
Jeanette Kusel, director of NICE Advice, said: “NICE Advice can help companies prepare for a technology appraisal, or engagement with payers or commissioners. As the NHS in England’s health technology assessment body, we help set the evidence standards companies need to meet to gain nationwide market entry. Engaging with us can help save time and money and get innovations into the hands of health and care professionals faster. If you’re unsure about working with NICE, I’d encourage you to come and talk to us.”
To find out more you can submit an enquiry online or visit the NICE Advice website.