Across Europe, a new chapter in Health Technology Assessment is taking shape.

Member States are now working together to assess the clinical value of new medicines through Joint Clinical Assessments under the EU HTA Regulation.

One year into its application, the conversation is moving from theory to reality. What does implementation actually look like? How are the first Joint Clinical Assessments being carried out? And why does this matter for patients, health systems and Europe’s innovation environment?

In this episode of Break the Bubble, Incisive Health Senior Counsel Hans Martens sits down with Maya Matthews, Head of the HTA Unit at DG SANTE.

Together, they explore how the first phase of the Regulation is taking shape, starting with oncology medicines and gene therapies. They discuss how Joint Clinical Assessments are aligned with EMA marketing authorizations, how patients and clinicians are now involved in shaping the assessment process, and how cooperation at EU level aims to reduce duplication while increasing transparency and quality.

What could this mean for innovation, for trust in decision-making and for access to new medicines across Europe?

Across Europe, health systems are at a critical turning point. Ageing populations, workforce shortages

and rising care needs are testing the sustainability of our model and deepening inequalities across

Europe. The question is no longer whether change is needed, but how quickly and how efficiently we

act.

In this episode of Break the Bubble, Incisive Health Senior Counsel, Hans Martins sits down with, Jan De

Maeseneer, a leading voice in primary health care, former chair of the DG SANTE Expert Panel on

effective ways of investing in health, he now heads the WHO Collaborating Centre for Family Medicine

and Primary Health Care at Ghent University.

Together they explore what it will take to move from reactive sick care towards more resilient, person-

centred health systems.

They discuss why strengthening primary and community care matters, how prevention and population-

based approaches can ease pressure on health systems, and what can be done to reduce widening

health inequalities. What happens if we fail to act, and what opportunities open up if we get this

transformation right?

The future of Europe’s health systems is at a crossroads. Ageing populations, workforce shortages, rising costs, and the lessons of COVID-19 are putting resilience at the top of the agenda. But how can governments adapt rigid systems, embrace digital transformation, and ensure patients truly benefit from innovation?

In this episode of Break the Bubble, Incisive Health’s Senior Counsel Hans Martens sits down with Francesca Colombo, Head of the Health Division at the OECD. Together they explore what it will take to make Europe’s health systems more resilient, more innovative, and ready for the challenges of tomorrow.