53269 (2025). Hon Dr Ayesha Verrall to the Associate Minister of Health

53269 (2025). Hon Dr Ayesha Verrall to the Associate Minister of Health: What work, if any, has been undertaken by Pharmac to broaden the scope of health technology assessment beyond medicines to include medical devices, software, or surgical interventions?

Hon David Seymour: I am advised that Pharmac has undertaken pilot health technology assessments (HTAs) across a range of medical devices, including robotics and cardiac implants, to support Health New Zealand assessments. These pilots tested new systems for obtaining clinical advice and producing HTA outputs, including rapid reviews for lower-risk devices, full HTAs with cost-utility analysis for high-cost technologies, and evidence summaries for time-sensitive decisions. Pharmac is also refining assessment processes to ensure they are proportionate and consider clinical effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, and system impact. Previous work on Pharmac’s Factors for Consideration has confirmed these are appropriate for devices as well as medicines.