The Voice of Patients in Rare Disease Treatments: What's Considered in NICE Decisions?

Patient organizations play a crucial role in health technology assessments (HTAs), particularly for ultra-rare diseases. But how much do their inputs really matter? A recent study dug into 15 NICE appraisals from January 2022 to August 2024. They found that patients mainly talked about the disease itself, like challenges in accessing treatments, the strain on caregivers, and mental health impacts. Interestingly, many of these points matched up with what the manufacturers and doctors said.Patients also brought up new issues, especially about access and mental health. However, not all patient concerns made it into the final NICE decisions. Sometimes, important points got overlooked. While NICE does a good job of considering patient-important issues, there's still room for improvement. Future research could help figure out the best ways for patients to contribute and measure their impact.