Revealed preferences towards the appraisal of orphan drugs in Poland - multi criteria decision analysis

BACKGROUND: A Multi Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) technique was adopted to reveal the preferences of the Appraisal Body of the Polish HTA agency towards orphan drugs (OMPs). RESULTS: There were 34 positive and 23 negative HTA recommendations out of 54 distinctive drug-indication pairs. The MCDA matrix consisted of 13 criteria, seven of which made the most impact on the HTA process. Appraisal of clinical evidence, cost of therapy, and safety considerations were the main contributors to the HTA guidance, whilst advancement of technology and manufacturing costs made the least impact. CONCLUSIONS: MCDA can be regarded as a valuable tool for revealing decision makers’ preferences in the healthcare sector. Given that only roughly half of all criteria included in the MCDA matrix were deemed to make an impact on the HTA process, there is certainly some room for improvement with respect to the adaptation of a new approach towards the value assessment of OMPs in Poland. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1186/s13023-018-0803-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.