Med Tech-related technology assessments from NICE in August 2026

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) develops HealthTech Guidance (HTG) to evaluate HealthTech products (such as diagnostics, medical devices, and digital technologies, including artificial intelligence) and interventional procedures. The program focuses on assessing the clinical and cost-effectiveness of HealthTech products and the safety and efficacy of interventional procedures. 

NICE uses a lifecycle approach for HTG, reflecting the development stage of technology: Early use (innovative technologies with potential to address NHS unmet needs but insufficient evidence); Routine use (innovative technologies with sufficient evidence for widespread NHS adoption); Existing use (assess technologies in widespread use in the NHS to inform commissioning and procurement decisions).

NICE generally makes four types of recommendations: “Can be used” is the most favorable recommendation, meaning routine NHS use; “Can be used during the evidence generation period” – recommendation is conditional on evidence generation; “More research is needed” – limits the use to research settings only; “Should not be used”. The exception is existing use HTG, which recommends whether any technology should be used over other similar technologies in widespread NHS use, and what to consider when choosing between them. Recommendations are not binding, although they are typically followed by providers and commissioners.

In August 2026, NICE released a new routine-use HTG on ex-situ machine perfusion devices to preserve deceased donor livers for transplantation, which made the following recommendations:

• NICE recommended four ex-situ machine perfusion devices to be used in the NHS as options to preserve deceased donor livers for transplantation: Liver Assist, metra, PerLife Pro, and VitaSmart Hypothermic Oxygenated Perfusion System. The committee made these recommendations because there is sufficient evidence to show clinical benefits and value for money. NICE concluded that these technologies should be routinely available in the NHS and funded through core NHS funding.

NICE noted that ex-situ machine perfusion is already used by most UK liver transplant centers, but access and funding vary between centers, with some services relying on charitable funding. The routine-use recommendation is intended to support more consistent access to these technologies through NHS core funding. The guidance applies to machine perfusion started at the transplant center and does not cover the use of the devices during the transportation of the donor liver.

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