On July 12, 2025, a study titled “The Real-World Impacts of Health Technology Assessments in Court Decision-Making: The case of Brazil” was published in BMC Health Services Research. This study evaluated Brazilian court decisions on Brazil’s most litigated treatments between 2011 and 2015 and concluded that implementing health technology assessments (HTAs) resulted in no difference in court rulings on patient health treatment claims.
Co-authored by Global Strategy Lab members: Mathieu JP Poirier, Tina Nanyangwe-Moyo, and Steven J Hoffman, alongside Natalia Pires de Vasconcelos, Daniel Wang, Gigi O Lin, Ana Luiza Chieffi, Zun Ge Mao, and Cauê Freitas Mônaco, the study explored the establishment of Brazil’s HTA (CONITEC) and assessed its effectiveness in influencing court proceedings on patient claims. Disregarding HTA recommendations has led to unintended negative impacts, such as diverting public funds towards those who can afford legal representation instead of allocating resources based on public health priorities, ultimately widening the gap in healthcare access for everyone.
To combat these challenges, the study urges for stronger integration of HTA evidence into legal proceedings by training judicial members, technical support for judges, and improved partnerships among patients, health practitioners and legal institutions.
Read the BMC Health Services Research Publication here.
Access the summary for a quick overview here.
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