1st GetReal Institute Annual Conference: Editor’s picks
March sees the 1st GetReal Institute Annual Conference taking place in Utrecht, The Netherlands. In this feature, our Editor gives an overview of the sessions to look out for at the event.
The GetReal Institute, founded in early 2021, is an independent, member-led, not-for-profit organization providing a multi-stakeholder collaboration between public and private partners to facilitate the adoption and implementation of real-world evidence (RWE) in healthcare decision-making in Europe. On 16th March 2023, the institute is running their inaugural conference focusing on ‘A European Outlook on Real World Evidence in a Global Context‘. At the event, a range of speakers will convene in Utrecht, The Netherlands to share their expertise on a range of topics discussing the progress of RWE in Europe as well as on a global level focusing on North America, Latin America, and Asia Pacific.
The Evidence Base is delighted to be attending the meeting – watch out for our coverage before, during and after the event (along with other insightful content) on our dedicated GetReal Institute Conference page .
“The aim is for the conference to inform the RWE community about recent developments as well as the future direction of RWE, highlighting some of those emerging initiatives and ongoing challenges, particularly where there is work going on within those regions. Also importantly, the aim is to work out where are there are opportunities for us to address collaboratively and collectively some of these challenges.”
Shahid Hanif, GetReal Institute
View the program here >>>
Global context of RWE
In the opening session, Bart Barefoot (GlaxoSmithKline, UK) will moderate a multi-stakeholder panel on ‘Setting the Scene: RWE and the Global Research landscape. What is the Future?’. Featuring Andrew Roddam (Our Future Health, UK), Bettina Ryll (Melanoma Patient Network Europe, Sweden), Wija Oortwijn (Health Technology Assessment International, The Netherlands) and Peter Mol (CBG/Dutch Medicines Evaluation, The Netherlands), the panel will discuss the broader sense of RWE research, how it is currently being used and where the speakers see the opportunities exist for RWE to advance research.
Focus on Europe
In the first of two sessions looking at RWE in Europe, Catherine Cohet (European Medicines Agency, The Netherlands) and Marcus Guardian (EUnetHTA, The Netherlands) will co-present the keynote ‘RWE and the Changing EU Landscape. The Pan European perspective’. Catherine will provide an overview of European developments in RWE from the regulatory perspective, outlining how the EMA are working with other stakeholders to advance the RWE agenda in this region. Marcus will provide the health technology assessment (HTA) viewpoint and include in his presentation insights into how EUnetHTA are working towards harmonization across EU HTA bodies.
In the second session, Andrew Roddam will moderate a panel including Rick Grobbee (UMC Utrecht, The Netherlands), François Houyez (Eurordis, France) and Iris Goetz (Eli Lilly, UK) to discuss the topic ‘Can RWE Bring (Drug) Development Back to Europe? Pragmatic Trials & Historical Controls, why not use RWE?’.
RWE in Asia
There are many opportunities for the use of RWD and RWE to improve healthcare delivery and patient outcomes in Asia, yet several challenges remain. In the session ‘Increasing Use of RWE in Asia’, Gracy Crane (Roche, UK) will be joined Professor Churn-Shiouh Gau (National Taiwan University, Taiwan) and Hu Suk Kwan (National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency, Malaysia) to talk about how RWE can be used in regulatory approvals, HTA and reimbursement decision-making in the Asia-Pacific region. The speakers will “spotlight” on Taiwan and Malaysia to share their approaches on the use of RWE in these regions and outline what initiatives they have taken to overcome the challenges they have encountered.
US perspectives
A highlight of the day, Mark McClellan (Duke-Margolis Center for Health Policy, USA) will lead the session ‘How do US Stakeholders use RWE for a Better Understanding of Value?’. Donna Rivera (FDA, USA), Irene Nunes (Flatiron, USA) and Darren Toh (Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, USA) will join Mark to reflect on their own use of RWE for regulatory and HTA decision-making in the USA.
RWE in Latin America
Nahila Justo (Evidera, Sweden) will chair the session ‘RWE in Latin America, Leapfrogging for Growth in Effective uses of RWE’. With speakers that include Sebastian Garcia Marti (Institute for Clinical Effectiveness and Health Policy, Argentina), the panel will give an overview of the state of play in Latin America, focusing on the regional uses and growing acceptability of RWE in the face of several issues such as fragmented healthcare systems and varying data quality.
Abstract presentations
An additional feature of the conference are the three ‘Abstracts Presentation Sessions’ focusing on ‘A paradigm shift in European evidence architectures’, ‘Applying RWE in decision making ’ and ‘Patient-centered approaches to RWE and decision making’. Through these sessions, delegates can hear from experts on a range of subjects including EHDEN, DARWIN EU and Patient Focussed Medicine Development. Bettina Ryll will also present provide the patient perspective and discuss ‘The Patient Value of RWE’.
Get in touch!
If you’re attending the 1st GetReal Institute Annual Conference and are interested in meeting with Laura Dormer or Joanne Walker of The Evidence Base, please email Joanne directly.