At the opening ceremony, the Brazilian Minister of Health, Alexandre Padilha, offered an overview of the Brazilian health sector, underscoring the importance of Health Technology Assessment in public policy development and decision-making processes.

The event was organized by the Brazilian Ministry of Health and by the HTAI society, in cooperation with the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation – FIOCRUZ, the National Health Insurance Agency – ANS, the Brazilian Health Surveillance Agency – ANVISA, the Cochrane Centre, and the Pan-American Health Organization – PAHO.

A series of pre-conference activities was held, including the I HTA MERCOSUR Meeting – Together On the Path Toward Strengthening Our Capacities, at which participants discussed the internalization of methods and strengthening of capacities in member countries. Another pre-conference event was the launch and inaugural meeting of the Health Technology Assessment Network of the Americas, Red de Evaluación de Tecnologías Sanitarias (REDETSA).

The conference itself took place June 27, 28, and 29. Carlos Augusto Grabois Gadelha, Secretary of Science, Technology and Strategic Products of the Brazilian Ministry of Health, opened the proceedings with some brief remarks before moving to his keynote lecture “Health, Development and Innovation – Challenges for Health Systems.”

A total of three plenary sessions were held: “Healthcare Systems Sustainability in the 21st Century,” “Case Studies of HTA Development and Impact of Healthcare Systems,” and “Next Steps: Developing HTA for Sustainable Healthcare Systems.”

In all, 863 scientific abstract submissions from 45 different countries were submitted during the event, in addition to 86 proposed Parallel Panel Sessions. Abstract submissions were reviewed by a scientific committee consisting of 78 experts from 21 countries.

Key discussions in the scientific and technical field centered on the role of HTA in assessing primary care intervention, regulatory and innovation processes, and disinvestment. The gathering included representatives from every continent. Further, the initiative clearly suggested that the prospects for the expansion of HTA in Latin America are strong.

The discussions on emerging economies and transcontinental cooperation were of fundamental importance in the design of strategies to consolidate HTA around the world.

The 9th edition of the conference will be held June 23-27, 2012, in Bilbao, Spain, and center on the theme Integrated Care for a Patient Centered System. For further information, go to www.htai2012.org.

The Organizing Team at Brazil’s Ministry of Health would like to thank everyone for their participation and contribution to the resounding success of the 2011 edition of HTAi.