User guide for the cost comparison company evidence submission template

Instructions for companies

This is the user guide for submission of evidence to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) when a cost-comparison case is made as part of the fast track technology appraisal process. It explains what information NICE requires and the format in which it should be presented.

Information should be submitted in the fast track appraisal company evidence submission template. Companies making evidence submissions to NICE should also refer to the NICE guide to the methods of technology appraisal, the NICE guide to the processes of technology appraisal and the NICE process and methods addenda.

The submission should be as brief and informative as possible. The main body of the submission must not be longer than 100 pages, excluding the appendices and the pages covered by the template.

The submission should be sent to NICE electronically in Word or a compatible format, and not as a PDF file. The submission must be a stand-alone document. Some of the information we request should be submitted as appendices to the main submission (when this is the case, it is clearly marked). The information in these appendices is required by the evidence review group (ERG) to fully critique the submission. The appendices are not normally presented to the appraisal committee, but will be available to them on request.

When making an evidence submission, companies must ensure that:

See section 3 of the NICE guide to the processes of technology appraisal for information about all aspects of information handling.

To ensure that the appraisal process is as transparent as possible, NICE considers that evidence on which the appraisal committee's decisions are based should be publicly available.

NICE requires the medical director of the company to sign a statement confirming that all clinical trial data necessary to address the remit and scope of the technology appraisal as issued by the Department of Health and NICE, within the company's or any of its associated companies' possession, custody, or control in the UK, or elsewhere in the world, have been disclosed.

NICE considers that the definition of 'all clinical trial data' is not limited to conventional randomised controlled trials (RCTs), but is meant to include other types of interventional or observational clinical research methodologies, such as large simple trials, cohort studies, case control studies, or registry data. This definition is consistent with that used by the European Medicines Agency in its policy on publication of clinical data on medicinal products for human use.

NICE requires companies to consent to European Economic Area regulatory authorities directly providing NICE with all clinical trial data necessary to address the remit and scope of the technology appraisal as issued by the Department of Health and NICE. This includes all data that have been submitted to the regulatory authorities by the company or any of its associated companies and that were relevant to the granting of a marketing authorisation, and for NICE to use those data in carrying out the technology appraisal. NICE will only ask regulatory authorities directly after having first approached the company for the information and the company is unable or unwilling to provide the information in a timely manner.