Guiding Principles for Evaluating Vaccines in Joint Health Technology Assessment in the European Union: Preparing for the European Union's Regulation on Health Technology Assessment for Vaccines

Objectives: The appraisal of vaccines in the European Union (EU) currently involves many different decision-making bodies and processes. The objective of this study was to help inform the development of standardized methodology and vaccine-specific processes for use in the EU Regulation on health technology assessment (HTA). Methods: Literature reviews and expert consultation were conducted to identify current practices and gaps related to vaccine appraisals and to develop guiding principles for the joint clinical assessment of vaccines. Results: We found that significant variation exists across the EU member states in the decision-making processes when clinically evaluating vaccines. Three guiding principles consisting of 13 recommendations were developed to help inform the development of decision-making frameworks for the joint clinical assessment of vaccines in the EU: (1) support the creation of appropriate terminology and measurements for clinical appraisals of vaccines; (2) develop inclusive, timely, and transparent vaccine appraisal processes to support stronger evidence generation for vaccine decision making and appraisal; and (3) improve the collection and interoperability of real-world data, including robust surveillance, to foster evidence generation and support the standardization of vaccine clinical appraisals. Conclusions: Given the significance of vaccines for public health, there is an urgency to develop standardized and vaccine-specific methodologies and processes for use in the EU joint HTA framework. The proposed guiding principles could support the effective implementation of the EU Regulation on HTA for vaccines and have the potential to ensure consistent, transparent, and timely access to new vaccines in the EU.