HTA Asks: How does the evidence supporting a new product or indication compare to existing treatment options?
After receiving an NOC from Health Canada, drugs move onto the next step: HTA. First and foremost, what does HTA stand for? HTA means ‘Health Technology Assessment.’ HTA looks at how the evidence supporting a new product or indication compares to existing treatment options. ‘Indication’ simply refers to what ailment the drug in question treats. Essentially, HTAs look at how effective a medication is for its price in comparison to other medications for the same thing.

Under the umbrella of HTA here in Canada, we have two organizations. CADTH, is the organization that does HTA for all the provinces and territories except for Quebec, and INESSS is the organization that does HTA for the province of Quebec. They differ slightly in their approach, the main difference being that INESSS takes into consideration social impact whereas CADTH does not. Otherwise, they are very similar processes and usually come to the same conclusions.