Scanning the horizon: development and implementation of an early awareness system for anticancer drugs in Austria.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Due to increasing expenditures for cancer therapies, an instrument was needed in Austria to facilitate the evidence-based use of new anticancer drugs and to pre-estimate their financial implications. OBJECTIVES: To describe and analyse the development and implementation of a Horizon Scanning System (HSS) in Austria that allows for the evaluation of new anticancer drugs before their routine introduction into clinical practice in order to inform decision-makers. METHODS: Common stages involved in HSSs were identified by a literature review and in cooperation with experts. A first concept for an HSS in Oncology was developed and piloted, and further adjustments were made after several feedback rounds with experts in oncology. RESULTS: To specifically tailor the five common stages of HSSs to the needs of our HSS, a continually evolving process was required. Now, 21 information sources are regularly scanned, the information is retrieved and extracted in a standardised format, and only anticancer drugs in phase III are included and prioritised by a team of eight experts. Since the HSS in Oncology was implemented as a standard practice, 19 assessments on novel cancer therapies with likely therapeutic and/or financial impacts have been published. CONCLUSIONS: The successful implementation of an HSS necessitates a repetitive cycle of adjustments in order to meet the objectives set by the individual HSS.