Economic evaluations in European reimbursement submission guidelines: current status and comparisons

This study aimed to review European national health-economic (HE) guidelines and to identify recent developments in guideline recommendations by comparing the findings with those of a review published in 2001. Guidelines were identified by searching websites of the Internal Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) and government health insurance agencies, and by a literature review. National guidelines showed broad consistency in ranking clinical data sources and choice of comparators for HE analysis, but varied in recommended costs to be included, methods related to cost calculation and discounting. Many European countries have developed or revised national HE guidelines. The recommendations in these guidelines differ in some key aspects, limiting transferability of outcomes of HE evaluations.