NICE Decision Support Unit

Dr Paul Tappenden

Senior Research FellowActing DSU Director

http://www.nicedsu.org.uk/

11/04/2023© The University of Sheffield

Background to DSU• Established in 2002.• Formal collaboration between the Universities of

Sheffield (lead), York and Leicester. • Peripheral members at LSHTM, Brunel and Bristol.• May also involve highly specialist expertise from

elsewhere.• Expertise covers all key areas of HTA.• Commissioned by NICE to provide a research and

training resource to support the Institute's Technology Appraisal Programme.

Main strands of work1. Appraisal-specific work

• Rapid evaluation of technical issues/analysis around health economic evaluation/modelling problems within specific technology appraisals

• An independent yet highly qualified voice

2. Methods development• Ongoing role in developing Methods guidance

for NICE • DSU Technical Support Documents• Training for industry and NICE Appraisal

Committee members• Other methods work

Appraisal-specific work• ~7 appraisals per year• Analysis of additional evidence submitted

as part of the appraisal process• Cetuximab for 1st line metastatic colorectal

cancer• Lapatinib for metastatic breast cancer

• Provision of modelling expertise unavailable elsewhere (software)• Donepezil for Alzheimer’s Disease

• Evaluating Patient access schemes (PAS)• Tocilizumab for Rheumatoid Arthritis

The NICE Methods Guide for Technology Appraisal• Setting the agenda for, organising and

facilitating the NICE methods guide for technology appraisal

• Recent work includes managing the update to the 2008 NICE methods guide – 6 workshops covering issues around evidence synthesis, utilities, uncertainty analysis, subgroups etc.

• Update due in 2011/2012• Conduit for leading academic centres in

HTA

DSU Technical Support Documents (TSDs)• Series of independent, non-prescriptive reports

commissioned to support NICE Methods Guide• 14 TSDs completed or near completion• Main areas:

• Health utilities (x5)• Evidence synthesis (x7)• Model development and reviewing evidence for

informing model parameters• Survival modelling using individual patient data• Use of regression methods in HTA models

Other DSU methods research• Report and related publications demonstrating

the feasibility of applying Value of Information methods.

• Feasibility projects relating to computerised decision support systems and orphan drugs

• Equity arguments applied to orphan drugs• Discounting of costs and benefits• The role of patient valuations of health states• The incorporation of uncertainty into cost-

effectiveness models• The incorporation of equity weights into cost

effectiveness models and decision making

Methods training • Bridge between NICE and the pharmaceutical

industry in providing methods training• “Masterclasses” held:

• Measurement and valuation of health-related quality of life

• Network meta-analysis & indirect comparisons• NICE Appraisal Process, modelling, what makes

a good submission, uncertainty analysis

Future updates• Join our mailing list at :

http://www.nicedsu.org.uk