New Publication: What Role Does Equity Play in Australia’s Health Technology Assessment Processes? A Review of the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee Recommendations Regarding Vaccines

A new study was published in Value in Health Regional Issues's themed section on Health Equity Research Arounf the Globe, “What Role Does Equity Play in Australia’s Health Technology Assessment Processes? A Review of the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee Recommendations Regarding Vaccines”. It examines how equity has been considered in national vaccine funding recommendations in Australia over the past two decades.

The study reviews vaccine submissions assessed by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC) between 2005 and 2024, analysing which equity-relevant dimensions were raised in submissions, and how these considerations were reflected in economic evidence. The analysis shows that equity-related factors - particularly Indigenous status and special healthcare needs - are increasingly discussed in PBAC recommendations. However, the incorporation of equity-informed methodologies remains limited, with subgroup analysis being the only method used.

This work forms part of a broader program of research on equity in health technology assessment in Australia, contributing empirical evidence to ongoing methodological and policy discussions about how equity considerations can be more systematically embedded into HTA processes.

You can read the full paper here:
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vhri.2025.101559