EMA's COMP seeking more patient input

EMA's Committee for Orphan Medicinal Products said it plans to focus in 2013 on integrating patient views, partnering with health technology assessment (HTA) organizations and expanding its collaborations with other international agencies. COMP said it will proactively request input from patients and disease-specific patient groups on topics including patient care, quality of life, assessment of significant benefit and treatment modalities. The committee also said it has started working with the European network for Health Technology Assessment (EUnetHTA) on a "better understanding" of the designation and marketing authorization of Orphan drugs, and to create initiatives to make Orphan drugs more available. EUnetHTA is a group of government-appointed organizations, regional agencies and not-for-profits that produce or contribute to HTAs in 29 European countries, including 26 EU member states. ...