Pharmacy Department, National Center for Cancer Care & Research, Hamad Medical Corporation, PO Box 3050, Doha, Qatar.
Medical Oncology Department, National Center for Cancer Care & Research, Hamad Medical Corporation, PO Box 3050, Doha, Qatar.
BMC Health Serv Res. 2023 Jan 6;23(1):15. doi: 10.1186/s12913-022-08981-5.
In line with global trends, cancer incidence and mortality may have decreased for specific types of cancer in Qatar. However, the cancer-related burden on patients, healthcare systems, and the economy is expected to expand; thus, cancer remains a significant public healthcare issue in Qatar. Qatar's free access to cancer care represents a considerable economic burden. Ensuring the best utilization of financial resources in the healthcare sector is important to provide unified and fair access to cancer care for all patients. Experts from the Qatar Oncology Health Economics Expert Panel (Q-OHEP) aimed to establish a consistent and robust base for evaluating oncology/hematology medications; involve patients' insights to accelerate access to cutting-edge medications; increase the value of cancer care; and reach a consensus for using cost-effective strategies and efficient methodologies in cancer treatment.
The Q-OHEP convened on 30 November 2021 for a 3-hour meeting to discuss cancer management, therapeutics, and health economics in Qatar, focusing on four domains: (1) regulatory, (2) procurement, (3) treatment, and (4) patients. Discussions, guided by a moderator, focused on a list of suggested open-ended questions.
Some of the salient recommendations included the development of a formal, fast-track, preliminary approval pathway for drugs needed by patients with severe disease or in critical condition; and encouraging and promoting the conduct of local clinical trials and real-world observational studies using existing registry data. The Q-OHEP also recommended implementing a forecast system using treatment center data based on the supply/demand of formulary oncology drugs to detect treatment patterns, estimate needs, expedite procurement, and prevent shortages/delays. Furthermore, the panel discussed the needs to define value concerning cancer treatment in Qatar, implement value-based models for reimbursement decision-making such as health technology assessment and multiple-criteria decision analysis, and promote patient education and involvement/feedback in developing and implementing cancer management guidelines.
Herein, we summarize the first Q-OHEP consensus recommendations, which aim to provide a solid basis for evaluating, registering, and approving new cancer medications to accelerate patient access to novel cancer treatments in Qatar; promote/facilitate the adoption and collection of patient-reported outcomes; and implement value-based cancer care in Qatar.
与全球趋势一致，卡塔尔特定类型癌症的癌症发病率和死亡率可能已经下降。然而，癌症给患者、医疗体系和经济带来的负担预计将会增加；因此，癌症仍然是卡塔尔一个重大的公共卫生问题。卡塔尔为癌症治疗提供免费服务，这给经济带来了相当大的负担。确保在医疗保健领域内对财政资源的最佳利用，对于为所有患者提供统一和公平的癌症治疗机会非常重要。卡塔尔肿瘤学卫生经济学专家小组（Q-OHEP）的专家旨在为评估肿瘤学/血液学药物建立一个一致和稳健的基础；让患者参与以加速获得先进药物；提高癌症护理的价值；并就癌症治疗中使用具有成本效益的策略和高效方法达成共识。
Q-OHEP 于 2021 年 11 月 30 日举行了 3 小时的会议，讨论卡塔尔的癌症管理、治疗和卫生经济学，重点关注四个领域：（1）监管，（2）采购，（3）治疗，（4）患者。讨论由主持人引导，重点讨论了一系列建议的开放式问题。
一些突出的建议包括为患有严重疾病或危急状况的患者制定正式的、快速的、初步批准途径，以获得所需药物；鼓励和促进使用现有登记数据进行当地临床试验和真实世界观察性研究。Q-OHEP 还建议使用基于治疗中心数据的预测系统，根据目录肿瘤药物的供应/需求情况，检测治疗模式、估计需求、加快采购并预防短缺/延迟。此外，该小组讨论了在卡塔尔定义癌症治疗价值的需求，实施基于价值的报销决策模型，如卫生技术评估和多标准决策分析，并促进患者教育和参与/反馈，以制定和实施癌症管理指南。
在这里，我们总结了 Q-OHEP 的第一个共识建议，旨在为评估、注册和批准新的癌症药物提供坚实的基础，以加快卡塔尔新型癌症治疗方法的患者准入；促进/便利采用和收集患者报告的结果；并在卡塔尔实施基于价值的癌症护理。
