Amelia Jones | 26/08/2025
When preparing for a NICE single technology appraisal (STA), UK clients often rely on systematic literature reviews (SLRs) developed by global teams. While these reviews are comprehensive, they’re not always tailored to the specific requirements of the UK health technology assessment (HTA) landscape. This mismatch can introduce uncertainty around the suitability of the evidence and whether it aligns with NICE’s rigorous methodological standards.
Barriers to successful reimbursement
Global SLRs are typically designed with broad objectives in mind. However, NICE submissions demand a more focused approach—one that addresses the UK-specific decision problem and adheres to NICE-recommended methodologies. Without this alignment, clients risk facing clarification questions from the Evidence Assessment Group (EAG), potentially delaying or complicating the reimbursement process.
Expert eyes on your evidence
At HEOR, we’ve supported numerous UK clients by critically evaluating global SLRs to assess their suitability for UK HTA. These critiques are conducted in-house by our principal information specialist (formerly of an EAG) and our HTA SLR expert. Together, they bring deep insight into what NICE expects—and where global reviews often fall short.
Common pitfalls that risk NICE compliance
Our evaluations frequently uncover recurring issues, such as:
- Omission of key sources like clinical trial registries and HTA submissions
- Overly restrictive search strategies that limit the evidence base
- Outdated searches, often more than six months old at the time of submission
- Non-compliance with PRISMA standards in study selection reporting
- Lack of UK-relevant data, particularly around utilities and costs
- Data extraction errors that compromise the integrity of the review
- Insufficient reporting, making it difficult to populate NICE appendices efficiently
Early advice for lasting impact
We provide early strategic recommendations that inform the final stages of evidence synthesis. This proactive approach helps ensure that the evidence package is robust, relevant, and ready for submission.
In many cases, our critique leads to clients commissioning HEOR to update or rework the SLR. This ensures:
- Timelinessof the data package
- Relevance and alignment with UK-specific requirements
- Confidencethat the submission will withstand scrutiny
To support the critique process, we’ve developed a bespoke checklist, centred around PRISMA and AMSTAR guidelines. This checklist enables us to deliver consistent, high-quality evaluations and is now a standard offering for our UK clients preparing for NICE reimbursement.
Your partner for reimbursement readiness
Our SLR critiques—and the timely support that often follows—assure clients that their submission is robust. Whether it’s validating an existing review or developing a new one that’s compliant with UK standards, HEOR is here to help.