Health technology assessment (HTA) has long been the cornerstone of evidence-informed policy for healthcare decision-making. While randomized controlled trials (RCTs) remain fundamental, they do not always reflect the realities of everyday clinical practice. Real-world evidence (RWE) is increasingly recognized as an important complement, capable of capturing variations in population, setting, and practice that influence health outcomes. In Malaysia and across ASEAN, the growing focus on RWE reflects both global momentum and regional aspirations to strengthen data-driven policymaking. This perspective reflects on Malaysia's experience in integrating RWE into HTA and considers how this evolution can inform regional efforts. It argues that the adoption of RWE signifies not only a methodological advance but a transformation in how evidence is conceptualized, governed, and applied. Developing robust data systems, analytical expertise, and cross-country collaboration will be essential to ensure that real-world data are translated into meaningful evidence for equitable and sustainable healthcare decisions.
Lim et al. (Thu,) studied this question.