— Public comment period now open until November 2, 2026 —
BOSTON, MANCHESTER, OTTAWA October 7, 2026 – The Health Economics Methods Advisory (HEMA) today released a Draft Report focused on approaches for health technology assessment (HTA) bodies to evaluate, present, and communicate uncertainty in health economic evaluations. This draft will be open for public comment until November 2, 2026, providing a unique opportunity for all interested parties to engage in the report development process. The key goals of this report include:
- Summarizing key methods available to characterize uncertainty in economic evaluation and its consequences for population health;
- Describing tools and frameworks for analyzing all sources of decision uncertainty, and proposing approaches to respond to uncertainty;
- Considering how best to communicate uncertainty to interested parties and for making recommendations to support decision-making.
Comments can be sent via email to [email protected], and must be received by 5 PM ET on November 2, 2026. Comments can be submitted as a Word document in the following format:
- 12-point Times New Roman font
- Five-page maximum (not including references or appendices)
The HEMA Working Group will review all comments and incorporate any necessary changes in the Final Report that will be posted in early 2027.
HEMA has been convened by the leaders of three global HTA organizations to critically and independently examine and assess new methods and processes. The three institutions are the USA-based Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER), England’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), and Canada’s Drug Agency (CDA-AMC). The intent of HEMA’s work is to provide actionable guidance to these and other HTA bodies.
Importantly, because HEMA operates independently, HTA organizations are free to decide whether to implement the guidance, and HEMA is similarly free to decide whether to revise its guidance based on comments received.
This is the second research topic for HEMA. Please visit HEMA’s website to learn more about past research, the HEMA Working Group Guiding Principles, and read the FAQs. Additional FAQs are available on Canada’s Drug Agency website.
About ICER
The Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) is an independent, non-profit research institute that conducts evidence-based reviews of health care interventions, including prescription drugs, other treatments, and diagnostic tests. In collaboration with patients, clinical experts, and other key stakeholders, ICER analyzes the available evidence on the benefits and risks of these interventions to measure their value and suggest fair prices. ICER also regularly reports on the barriers to care for patients and recommends solutions to ensure fair access to prescription drugs. For more information about ICER, please visit www.icer.org.
About NICE
NICE helps practitioners and commissioners get the best care to people, fast, while ensuring value for the taxpayer.
We do this by:
- Producing useful and usable guidance for health and care practitioners.
- Providing rigorous, independent assessment of complex evidence for new health technologies.
- Developing recommendations that focus on what matters most and drive innovation into the hands of health and care practitioners.
- Encouraging the uptake of best practice to improve outcomes for everyone.
About Canada’s Drug Agency
Canada’s Drug Agency (CDA-AMC)is a pan-Canadian health organization. Created and funded by Canada’s federal, provincial, and territorial governments, we’re responsible for driving better coordination, alignment, and public value within Canada’s drug and health technology landscape. We provide Canada’s health system leaders with independent evidence and advice so they can make informed drug, health technology, and health system decisions, and we collaborate with national and international partners to enhance our collective impact.
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