The Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Healthcare (IQWiG) (German: Institut für Qualität und Wirtschaftlichkeit im Gesundheitswesen) is a German agency responsible for assessing the quality and efficiency of medical treatments, including drugs, non-drug interventions (e.g. surgical procedures), diagnostic and screening methods, and treatment and disease management.
IQWiG operates on a legal basis laid down in §139a and §139b of the Fifth Book of the German Social Code (SGB V) that summarises almost all provisions on statutory health insurance in Germany.
IQWiG regularly communicates with similar organisations in other countries, such as with the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) in the UK and the Haute Autorité de Santé (HAS) in France.
[5] IQWiG hit international headlines in October 2010 with a report slamming Reboxetine as inefficient and harmful.
[6] Similarly, in September 2010, another study rebuffed the use of Venlafaxine and Duloxetine as first-line treatment in major depression, but recommend them as a second line option.