Four days. Nearly 6,000 experts. Over 3,000 research posters. 140+ sessions. 130+ exhibitors.
With such amazing numbers, ISPOR Europe 2025 (Nov 9-12) solidified its role as the essential European hub for health economics and outcomes research (HEOR). It was a reality check on where healthcare is headed.
If one message came through loud and clear, it was this:
Healthcare value must be defined with — not for — the patient.
And without collaboration, we can’t get there.
Here’s a rundown of everything that happened at the event.
Central theme: Patient-centricity and collaboration
This year’s theme: Powering Value and Access Through Patient-Centered Collaboration, prepared the stage for the attendees.
Every major session hit on the same idea:
We can’t define value without the voices of the people living with the conditions we’re treating.
It’s not enough for payers, regulators, and industry to talk among themselves. We need patients deeply involved in defining what “value” really means in healthcare.
The opening keynote by Dave Snowden, founder of The Cynefin Co., dove headfirst into this. He explored how we make decisions in a deeply complex world, especially when lives are on the line.
The big plenary sessions: Where the tough questions were asked
The heart of ISPOR Europe 2025 lay in its three main plenary sessions—the big stage conversations where everyone gathered to hear from leaders shaping the future of healthcare. They dug into some of the biggest challenges in healthcare right now.
Plenary 1: Rethinking patient engagement
It tackled patient engagement in healthcare investments. It wasn’t just a feel-good talk; Panels including HTA bodies, patients, industry, and regulators debated real deliverables for the next five years.
ISPOR CEO Rob Abbott put it best:
“Rethinking patient engagement isn’t just a moral imperative; it is a critical investment strategy. Collaboration that centers on the patient is the only way we can truly unlock and sustain value within the global healthcare system.”
Plenary 2: Pragmatic Trials and the Future of Clinical Evidence
It pushed for trials that mirror the real world, not just idealized, controlled environments.
Leaders like Denis Lacombe, Antonella Cardone, Michael Zaiac, Beate Wieseler, and others confronted the need for trials that reflect the true diversity of clinical practice and patient lives.
Plenary 3: Real-world evidence
It zeroed in on what real-world evidence means for patients.
With voices like Karen Facey, Maria Dutarte, Pall Jonsson, Sofie Gustafsson, and Renske Los, this session highlighted how cross-border infrastructure — like DARWIN EU and the European Health Data Space (EHDS) — could reshape patient access, safety, and outcomes across borders.
Another hot topic was the new EU HTA Regulation. Experts debated whether this long-awaited rule will harmonise health technology assessments or simply add a new layer of complexity to the process.
Scientific deep dive beyond the big talks
The real engine of ISPOR Europe 2025 was its scientific program. Over four days, thousands of research findings were shared through several formats:
- Interactive posters: where researchers shared fresh data, attendees gave real-time feedback, and discussed new methodologies and studies.
- Pre-conference short courses: offered intensive training on specialised topics like advanced modeling, RWE, AI, and the new EU HTA Regulation.
- Themed tracks: focused streams covering everything from orphan drugs and value assessment to innovative payment models, ensuring every specialty had a home.
- Spotlight sessions, issue panels, and fast-fact forums. A mix of formats that kept engagement high.
Emerging research trends: What’s now (and what’s coming)
The AI revolution
Is generative AI here just to speed up what we already do—or is it fundamentally transforming research?
Several sessions debated this, especially with tools that can synthesise large volumes of literature, accelerate reviews, and potentially automate parts of health technology assessments.
The “Whole Health” shift
Experts pushed for a broader view of patient value. The focus was on integrating social factors and overall well-being into traditional cost-effectiveness models.
This “whole health” approach aims to capture the full impact of a treatment on a person’s quality of life, not just their specific illness.
Real-world evidence in action
Some standout research shone a light on real-world use cases. For instance, Sciensus’s use of digital tools combined with nurse support to boost patient adherence, and how RWE is being used not just to prove value, but to drive policy and real-world decisions.
Navigating market access
Discussions tackled complex policy issues, including how US pricing deals for high-demand drugs, such as new obesity treatments (e.g., those from Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk), are putting pressure on European markets.
A key takeaway was the launch of updated tools such as the HERC Database of Mapping Studies to provide vital resources for health economists.
Industry spotlights & strategic shifts
- Flatiron Health made waves: they announced 12 abstracts accepted for presentation at ISPOR, including two in the Top 5%. Their work spans oncology RWE, transportability analyses across countries, and bias assessment using AI-extracted data.
- LCP Health Analytics presented 15 posters on topics as urgent as health equity, joint clinical assessment (JCA), and statistical innovations.
- OPEN Health ran a symposium on patient engagement, especially on making sure “patient-centric” doesn’t become just another buzzword.
The big move: ISPOR Institute for Healthcare Transformation
Possibly the biggest institutional announcement came mid-conference: ISPOR launched its new Institute for Healthcare Transformation.
This initiative’s mission is to finally bridge the gap between health economics research and real-world policy.
The Institute aims to turn data-driven insights into real-world impact: informing health policy, guiding payer decisions, and influencing healthcare systems globally.
As ISPOR CEO Rob Abbott put it, HEOR isn’t just academic — it’s a lever to transform healthcare into something that’s more accessible, efficient, and truly patient-centered.
ISPOR Europe 2025 awards and recognitions
ISPOR Europe 2025 honored the researchers and leaders driving the HEOR (Health Economics and Outcomes Research) field forward.
The ceremony was presided over by ISPOR President Uwe Siebert and WHO Europe’s Director of Country Health Policies, Natasha Azzopardi-Muscat.
Here are the standout honorees:
ISPOR Impact Award: Rachael Fleurence, PhD and Jag Chhatwal, PhD, MS, for their work on modeling the elimination of Hepatitis C in the U.S. and helping drive congressional legislation.
Avedis Donabedian Lifetime Achievement Award: Adrian Towse, MA, MPhil, recognized for his long-standing contribution to improving health outcomes.
Marilyn Dix Smith Leadership Award: Paul Scuffham, PhD, for providing extraordinary leadership to ISPOR over the years.
Bernie O’Brien New Investigator Award: Bertalan Nemeth, PhD, MSc, a promising rising scholar making waves in HEOR.
ISPOR LMIC Health Economics & Outcomes Research Excellence Award: Eman Hammad, PhD (University of Jordan), honored for outstanding HEOR research in low- and middle-income countries.
Award for Excellence in Methodology: Boshen Jiao, PhD (USC) for his methodological work on cost-effectiveness frameworks.
Award for Excellence in Application: Anirban Basu, PhD, MS (University of Washington), for applying HEOR to gene therapy in sickle cell disease.
Value in Health Paper of the Year: Yawen Jiang, PhD (Sun Yat-sen University), for a paper on value-based pricing of multi-indication drugs.
Value in Health Regional Issues Excellent Article: Drishti Baid, BSocSci (University of Southern California), for a discrete choice experiment on how societies value treatments for advanced illness.
The event also shone a spotlight on the outstanding work of regional and student chapters from Korea, South Africa, and Central America.
Parting words
One key insight from ISPOR Europe 2025 was: the future of value-based healthcare is collaboration, especially centered on the patient. The era of siloed decision-making is over.
The path now is to leverage AI and RWE, embrace the “whole health” shift, and anchor every decision in the patient experience. This is needed for powering real-world value and access.
-By Alkama Sohail and the AHT Team
