Medical magazine ‘Deutsches Ärzteblatt’

Once a month, authors from the Institute write about current IQWiG assessments or other practice-relevant topics for doctors in the German-language medical magazine ‘Deutsches Ärzteblatt’

Patients with vulvodynia often try a number of therapies. Above all, they might benefit from online acceptance and commitment therapy, physiotherapy or extracorporeal shock wave therapy.

Benefit assessment vulvodynia. Evidence is lacking for many therapies. (German version)

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screenshot of article, PDF, 153 kB, PDF
The Declaration of Helsinki sets out ethical principles for medical research involving human participants. The first consideration is the well-being of the research participants. Yet even today, there are still many clinical studies that do not meet these ethical standards.

Ethics in clinical studies (German version)

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DE, Screenshot of Article, PDF, 83 kB, PDF
The EU-wide standardized Clinical Trials Information System (CTIS) has been in operation for more than four years. Its main aim was to increase the transparency of clinical studies. The first clinical study reports are now publicly available.

Insights into drug studies (German version)

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DE, Screenshot of article, PDF, 89 kB, PDF
The antidote andexanet alfa, used to counteract the factor Xa inhibitors apixaban and rivaroxaban, carries major risks, whilst its benefits for patients remain questionable.

Antidote falls short of expectations (German version)

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DE, Screenshot of Article, PDF, 136 kB, PDF
Developing or updating a guideline presents many challenges. To assist medical societies with specific methodological questions, AWMF, IQWiG and Cochrane have been offering consultation sessions since last year.

Support for guideline projects (German version)

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DE, screenshot of article, PDF, 91 kB, PDF
For the functional diagnosis of coronary heart disease (CHD), cardiac magnetic resonance imaging provides results of comparable quality to those obtained using single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) – but without exposing patients to radiation.

Radiation-free CHD diagnosis (German version)

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DE, Screenshot of Article, PDF, 127 kB, PDF
A guideline for the recording and analysis of patient-reported outcomes is intended to help improve health care for cancer patients in the future.

Patient-reported outcomes in oncology studies (German version)

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DE, Screenshot Artikel, PDF, 127 kB, PDF

The patient’s perspective is crucial to making sound decisions about health care – both in medical practice and in IQWiG’s reports.

Adopting a patient-centred approach (German version)

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DE, Screenshot of Article, PDF, 145 kB, PDF

Comprehensive data is the cornerstone of good patient care and medical progress – as demonstrated by two IQWiG assessments of invasive procedures for heart failure.

Good data provides certainty (German version)

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DE, Screenshot of article, PDF, 114 kB, PDF

It remains unclear whether methods such as castor oil or acupuncture are effective in inducing labour. The evidence base is insufficient to answer this question.

Non-drug interventions (German version)

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DE, Screenshot of article, PDF, 104 kB, PDF

The European benefit assessment of drugs is on the way. The European Medicines Agency (EMA), regulatory authorities and health technology assessment (HTA) agencies discussed problems and solutions in a series of workshops.

Consensus on clinical studies (German version)

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DE, Screenshot of article, PDF, 97 kB, PDF

Shorter-duration antibiotic therapy shows comparable success to longer-duration therapy in children with community-acquired pneumonia. However, it is not possible to reach a general conclusion about a shortened treatment duration for other therapeutic indications.

Results of shorter-duration therapy (German version)

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DE, screenshot of article, PDF, 96 kB, PDF

Much of the field of chronic wound treatment remains unexplored. Studies could change this. Some evidence gaps can be closed for the category of other wound treatment products with active effects.

Showing the benefits for patients (German version)

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DE, screenshot of article, PDF, 101 kB, PDF

A reliable test is essential for ruling out non-acute coronary heart disease (CHD). Phonocardiography does not meet this requirement, as shown by a benefit assessment carried out by IQWiG.

Hit rate inadequate (German version)

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DE, screenshot of article, PDF, 92 kB, PDF

IQWiG’s decision-making aids provide support for doctor-patient consultations in general practice or in hospitals.

Support for consultations (German version)

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DE, screenshot of article, PDF, 105 kB, PDF

A recent example illustrates how a good registry was rendered useless for comparative research due to major restrictions.

Viewing registries as a basis for research (German version)

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screenshot article, PDF, 118 kB, PDF

The transparency rules for ‘academic studies’ have so far been largely nonbinding. The revised Declaration of Helsinki now imposes stricter requirements. IQWiG supports these rules.

Studies must be transparent (German version)

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DE, screenshot article, PDF, 84 kB, PDF

The example of colorectal cancer screening illustrates how a distinction can be made between medically justified and unjustified gender-specific approaches.

Gender justice in health care (German version)

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screenshot of article, PDF, 61 kB, PDF

The chances of success for colorectal cancer surgery are higher if the procedure has been performed often at a certain hospital. This is the conclusion of systematic analyses carried out by IQWiG.

Improving quality with larger case numbers (German version)

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DE, screenshot of article, PDF, 601 kB, PDF

Following a positive recommendation from IQWiG and resolutions by the G-BA and the Evaluation Committee, systemic therapy for children and adolescents is now part of standard health care.

The path to outpatient health care (German version)

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DE, screenshot of article, PDF, 78 kB, PDF

IQWiG provides online information and a leaflet to help navigate the range of care services available for children and adolescents with autism.

Who can help with autism (German version)

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DE, screenshot of article, PDF, 140 kB, PDF

A comparison of two surgical procedures shows that both are safe and effective. The femtosecond laser offers no additional advantages. It is usually not fully covered by the statutory health insurance in Germany and patients must pay the difference out of their own pocket.

Treatment of cataracts (German version)

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DE, screenshot of article, PDF, 84 kB, PDF

For treatment optimization in heart failure, there is a small implant that measures and monitors pulmonary artery pressure. Surprisingly, this new medical device is now gaining momentum.

From potential into clinical practice (German version)

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DE, screenshot of article, PDF, 218 kB, PDF

Trial registries are an important source for conducting systematic reviews – but also for doctors to find out about ongoing studies.

How do you find out about studies? (German version)

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DE, screenshot of article, PDF, 146 kB, PDF

To support clinics and hospitals in providing information about pregnancy termination, IQWiG now offers a new, comprehensive information pack.

New information resource (German version)

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DE, screenshot of article, PDF, 88 kB, PDF

The example of atopic dermatitis illustrates that drug manufacturers sometimes fail to take new treatment standards into account in their studies, even though this would be possible.

Appropriate comparator therapy (German version)

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DE, screenshot of article, PDF, 105 kB, PDF

The current legal framework is failing to achieve its objective of ensuring that new high-risk treatment methods without a demonstration of benefit are either not made available at all or are only made available within the context of appropriate studies.

Assessment of high-risk medical devices (German version)

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DE, screenshot of article, PDF, 119 kB, PDF

IQWiG supports medical societies in the development of guidelines. In this way, it helps to ensure the provision of health care.

Support for guideline development (German Version)

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DE, screenshot of article, PDF, 419 kB, PDF

In the case of orphan drugs, the legislator fails to achieve its objective of basing the price of a new drug on its added benefit in comparison with the appropriate comparator therapy.

Separating the wheat from the chaff (German version)

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DE, screenshot of article, PDF, 508 kB, PDF

Based on a study of direct comparison, IQWiG determined in 2023 that vutrisiran had an added benefit compared with patisiran. The drug manufacturer has now cited the same study in its dossier on patisiran, but has this time interpreted it completely differently.

A win is a win (German version)

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DE, screenshot of article, PDF, 2 MB, PDF

When providing health care to people with cognitive impairments, communication requires special attention. IQWiG is increasingly focusing on this issue.

“So please stay near the toilet” (German version)

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DE, screenshot of article, PDF, 439 kB, PDF

In the AMNOG procedure, the drug manufacturer has to provide evidence that a new drug really is better than the existing standard treatment. They do not always succeed in this.

New does not always mean better (German version)

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DE, screenshot of article, PDF, 407 kB, PDF

IQWiG explains why ultrasound could replace X-rays in the future for children with suspected forearm fractures.

Sound instead of radiation (German version)

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DE, screenshot of article, PDF, 343 kB, PDF

Medical magazine ‘Deutsches Ärzteblatt’

Patients with vulvodynia often try a number of therapies. Above all, they might benefit from online acceptance and commitment therapy, physiotherapy or extracorporeal shock wave therapy.

The Declaration of Helsinki sets out ethical principles for medical research involving human participants. The first consideration is the well-being of the research participants. Yet even today, there are still many clinical studies that do not meet these ethical standards.

The EU-wide standardized Clinical Trials Information System (CTIS) has been in operation for more than four years. Its main aim was to increase the transparency of clinical studies. The first clinical study reports are now publicly available.

The antidote andexanet alfa, used to counteract the factor Xa inhibitors apixaban and rivaroxaban, carries major risks, whilst its benefits for patients remain questionable.

Developing or updating a guideline presents many challenges. To assist medical societies with specific methodological questions, AWMF, IQWiG and Cochrane have been offering consultation sessions since last year.

For the functional diagnosis of coronary heart disease (CHD), cardiac magnetic resonance imaging provides results of comparable quality to those obtained using single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) – but without exposing patients to radiation.

A guideline for the recording and analysis of patient-reported outcomes is intended to help improve health care for cancer patients in the future.

2025

The patient’s perspective is crucial to making sound decisions about health care – both in medical practice and in IQWiG’s reports.

Comprehensive data is the cornerstone of good patient care and medical progress – as demonstrated by two IQWiG assessments of invasive procedures for heart failure.

It remains unclear whether methods such as castor oil or acupuncture are effective in inducing labour. The evidence base is insufficient to answer this question.

The European benefit assessment of drugs is on the way. The European Medicines Agency (EMA), regulatory authorities and health technology assessment (HTA) agencies discussed problems and solutions in a series of workshops.

Shorter-duration antibiotic therapy shows comparable success to longer-duration therapy in children with community-acquired pneumonia. However, it is not possible to reach a general conclusion about a shortened treatment duration for other therapeutic indications.

Much of the field of chronic wound treatment remains unexplored. Studies could change this. Some evidence gaps can be closed for the category of other wound treatment products with active effects.

A reliable test is essential for ruling out non-acute coronary heart disease (CHD). Phonocardiography does not meet this requirement, as shown by a benefit assessment carried out by IQWiG.

IQWiG’s decision-making aids provide support for doctor-patient consultations in general practice or in hospitals.

A recent example illustrates how a good registry was rendered useless for comparative research due to major restrictions.

The transparency rules for ‘academic studies’ have so far been largely nonbinding. The revised Declaration of Helsinki now imposes stricter requirements. IQWiG supports these rules.

The example of colorectal cancer screening illustrates how a distinction can be made between medically justified and unjustified gender-specific approaches.

The chances of success for colorectal cancer surgery are higher if the procedure has been performed often at a certain hospital. This is the conclusion of systematic analyses carried out by IQWiG.

Following a positive recommendation from IQWiG and resolutions by the G-BA and the Evaluation Committee, systemic therapy for children and adolescents is now part of standard health care.

2024

IQWiG provides online information and a leaflet to help navigate the range of care services available for children and adolescents with autism.

A comparison of two surgical procedures shows that both are safe and effective. The femtosecond laser offers no additional advantages. It is usually not fully covered by the statutory health insurance in Germany and patients must pay the difference out of their own pocket.

For treatment optimization in heart failure, there is a small implant that measures and monitors pulmonary artery pressure. Surprisingly, this new medical device is now gaining momentum.

Trial registries are an important source for conducting systematic reviews – but also for doctors to find out about ongoing studies.

To support clinics and hospitals in providing information about pregnancy termination, IQWiG now offers a new, comprehensive information pack.

The example of atopic dermatitis illustrates that drug manufacturers sometimes fail to take new treatment standards into account in their studies, even though this would be possible.

The current legal framework is failing to achieve its objective of ensuring that new high-risk treatment methods without a demonstration of benefit are either not made available at all or are only made available within the context of appropriate studies.

IQWiG supports medical societies in the development of guidelines. In this way, it helps to ensure the provision of health care.

In the case of orphan drugs, the legislator fails to achieve its objective of basing the price of a new drug on its added benefit in comparison with the appropriate comparator therapy.

Based on a study of direct comparison, IQWiG determined in 2023 that vutrisiran had an added benefit compared with patisiran. The drug manufacturer has now cited the same study in its dossier on patisiran, but has this time interpreted it completely differently.

When providing health care to people with cognitive impairments, communication requires special attention. IQWiG is increasingly focusing on this issue.

In the AMNOG procedure, the drug manufacturer has to provide evidence that a new drug really is better than the existing standard treatment. They do not always succeed in this.

IQWiG explains why ultrasound could replace X-rays in the future for children with suspected forearm fractures.