# A Methodological Proposal for Health Technology Assessments: A Case Study on Biosimilar Drugs

## TL;DR

This paper proposes a new method for health technology assessments using mathematical models to help reduce pharmaceutical costs and improve healthcare planning.

## Contribution

The novelty lies in using mathematical models with real data to predict drug prices and assess regional negotiating capabilities.

## Key findings

- Mathematical models were used to predict drug prices and costs based on real data.
- Degree coefficients were formulated to rank the negotiating capabilities of Italian regions.
- The method can be adapted to various data for optimizing health technology use and resource allocation.

## Abstract

This work proposes a methodological approach that could be useful in multidisciplinary health technology assessments (HTAs). Mathematical models based on real data were used to make predictions for the initial price and actual cost of three classes of biological drugs. Through a comparison of real data, with the data derived through this approach, degree coefficients were formulated to rank the negotiating capabilities of Italian regions. The proposed method could represent a valid means of support for healthcare decisionmakers in planning and reducing pharmaceutical spending, evaluating data, and finding uses for particular medical technologies. This study could be a useful tool for achieving the objectives of HTAs, providing a means of analysis that can be adapted to any data, which may be useful for rationalizing the use of health technologies, reducing waste, and optimally reallocating resources.