The Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), which currently includes Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Russia, was established in 2015. Pursuing economic integration, and modeled in part after the structure of European Union, the EAEU launched a common medicines market in 2017. There have been various developments regarding cooperation in health technology assessment (HTA) across the EAEU countries, exemplified by a conference held in Kazakhstan in 2017. Here we discuss some considerations for developing cooperation in HTA throughout EAEU based on the experiences of implementing the European Network for Health Technology Assessment (EUnetHTA).

Legal and review documents regarding the implementation of EUnetHTA were obtained from the European Commission website and research databases to inform this narrative review.

Achieving recognition of the role of HTA at an inter-governmental level, akin to the actions of the European Commission prior to establishing EUnetHTA, appears pivotal at the current stage of HTA development among EAEU members. Similar to the EUnetHTA project stage of 2006-2008, the existing HTA structures and national standards will need to be accurately and systematically assessed by a working-group appointed specifically for that purpose. Besides the importance of accepting a unifying framework similar to the EUnetHTA core model, implementation features that are specific to the context of EAEU countries could include the development of common adaptation toolkits and glossaries. Capacity building efforts may also prove crucial to ensure the sustainability of HTA-related cooperation.

Optimization of resources by streamlining HTA processes, whether in research, policy, or results dissemination, and avoiding duplication of effort by HTA agencies, is relevant in the context of limited healthcare resources in developing countries. This overview is an attempt at facilitating discussion to inform policy and research efforts to streamline HTA processes.