Consultations Help Shape Updated Patient Input Guide

Feedback from more than 35 patient groups has helped CADTH update its Guidance for Providing Patient Input — a key resource for patient groups, patients, and caregivers who contribute to our reimbursement review process.

The guide now addresses some of the key improvements suggested by patient groups, which include:

• expanding the definition of a patient group and outlining patient group eligibility criteria
• providing clear examples of how patient input is used as part of CADTH’s review and during expert committee deliberations
• offering a step-by-step description of the reimbursement review process and highlighting opportunities and expectations for patient group involvement
• clarifying the conflict of interest declaration and the type of information to disclose, to support transparency and help ensure consistency across patient group submissions
• updating our list of commonly used acronyms to help patient groups who may be navigating our process for the first time.

Patient groups and individuals offered their comments earlier this year, as part of the public consultation process on our revised Procedures for CADTH Reimbursement Reviews.

Patient input is an essential component of our reviews and CADTH thanks all patient groups, patients, and caregivers who participated in our consultations. Please contact us if you have further comments on the guidance we offer.

About CADTH Reimbursement Reviews

Once Health Canada has approved a drug for use in Canada, the country’s public drug plans and cancer agencies must decide if the drug will be eligible for public reimbursement. CADTH plays an important role in their decision-making processes.

Through our review process, we conduct thorough and objective evaluations of the clinical, economic, patient, and clinician evidence on drugs, and uses these evaluations to provide reimbursement recommendations and advice to federal, provincial, and territorial public drug plans and provincial cancer agencies (with the exception of Quebec). Learn more here.