[Haute Autorite de sante opinion on cost-effectiveness of health products : results and perspectives].

Since 3rd October 2013 in France, drug companies applying for reimbursement of an innovative and expensive drug or medical device are required to provide the French National Authority for Health (HAS) with a cost-effectiveness assessment of their product. After a methodological audit of the economic evaluation submitted by the drug company, the Health Economics and Public Health Committee (CEESP) issues an opinion on the expected or observed cost-effectiveness. This opinion is sent to the Pricing Committee (CEPS) which determines the price of the product. After summarizing the French reimburse'!lent and pricing system, the objective of this article is to review the first 22 months of activity, in which HAS issued 30 cost-effectiveness opinions. The process, based on exchanges between drug companies and HAS, allowed the pricing committee to document the economic criterion in the majority of applications, while characterizing the degree of uncertainty of the results. For ten applications, major methodological concerns led the CEESP to reject the drug company's assessment.