Health Technology Assessment of mRNA Vaccines: Clinical, Economic, and Public Health Implications

Abstract

Health Technology Assessment (HTA) is a multidimensional and multidisciplinary approach for analyzing the medical–clinical, social, organizational, economic, ethical, and legal implications of a technology, through the evaluation of multiple dimensions such as efficacy, safety, costs, and social–organizational impact. In the healthcare context, “technology” refers to any tool—including pharmaceuticals (or, in this case, vaccines)—that is applied to healthcare practice. HTA focuses on assessing both the real and potential effects of a given technology, either prospectively or throughout its life cycle, as well as the consequences that the introduction or exclusion of an intervention may have on the healthcare system, the economy, and society at large.