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The U.K.'s cost-effectiveness watchdog has officially snubbed the Sanofi ($SNY) prostate cancer treatment Jevtana. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence won't recommend the drug for use by the National Health Service because its benefits don't outweigh the cost or risk of side effects, the agency said. (Source: FiercePharma, 1/12/12)

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Late December 2011 saw the signing of a three-year price-cap agreement on medicine prices, until December 31, 2014, by Denmark. (Source:  the pharmaletter.com, 1/3/2012)

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The European Medicines Agency (EMA) says it is expecting requests for scientific advice from makers of human-use medicines to increase 10% next year. Also, more scientific advice requests are likely to be made jointly with health technology assessment (HTA) bodies. Next year's work programme is accompanied by a budget of 222.5 million euros, which is an increase of 6.5% over 2011. (Source: PharmaTimes, 12/19/2011)

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The Foundation for Managed Care Pharmacy (FMCP) and the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy, in partnership with Genentech, offer two appointments to the Genentech Managed Care and Customer Operations (MCCO) Summer Internship Program for student pharmacists enrolled in a graduate degree program.  Ideal candidates will be current students enrolled in an accredited PharmD program and/or pursuing a dual degree program such as a MBA, MPP or MPH. (Source:  FMCP)

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The NHS Atlas of Variation has been published by the Department of Health to highlight the amount each Primary Care Trust (PCT) spends on clinical services and links this with the health outcomes patients see. Consisting of 71 maps, the Atlas will help commissioners learn from one other, consider the appropriateness of a service, and investigate when clinical health outcomes are not reflecting the financial investment that has been made. (Source: Department of Health, 12/12/2011)

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The ‘Measuring Return from Investment’ study, undertaken by Deloitte consultancy and Thomson Reuters, finds that the majority of leading drugmakers have seen a decline on their return from R&D. Specifically the study shows that 10 of the top 12 pharma firms saw their internal rate of return (IRR) decrease from 11.8% in last year to 8.4% in this, representing a fall of just under 30 per cent.  (Source:  InPharm)

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Economic, regulatory, and competitive pressures are encouraging biopharmaceutical companies, large and small, to partner with each other and with academic research institutions to create synergistic relationships that capitalise upon the competencies that each organisation brings to the table.  (Source:  InPharm)

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Abbott’s new spin-off pharma firm could attract a lot of attention from big pharma looking to sure up their portfolios.Analysts are speculating on what the new spin-off could go for but the highest prediction comes from the Goldman Sachs Group, which believes it could sell for $54 billion.  (Source:  InPharm)

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10/2011, The RPM Report) reports “...Marketers have long complained about a lack of clarity from FDA on how to discuss unapproved uses of prescription drugs and biologics without running afoul of the Department of Justice...Drug manufacturers now see an opening to revisit the issue in the aftermath of the Supreme Court's opinion in the Vermont data mining case Sorrell vs. IMS Health. In that case, the high court struck down as unconstitutional Vermont's attempts to place restrictions on the use of physician prescribing data by pharmaceutical companies for marketing purposes.” Paid Subscription Required.

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10/7, Alicia Ault, The Oncology Report) reports “...The panel also endorsed the use of ‘medical necessity’ to guide decisions on whether certain procedures or services should be covered, and called for transparency in developing rules for that process. Comparative effectiveness research and evidence-based practices should be used when designing benefits, according to the report. ‘New and alternative treatments, in the view of the committee, should meet the standard of providing increased health gains at the same or lower cost.’”

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(10/9, Benjamin Zycher, Washington Examiner) comments “...Expanding federal involvement in CER creates the possibility that findings, however uncertain, will influence policies on coverage, reimbursement, and incentives in Medicare, Medicaid, and other programs...New research from the Pacific Research Institute shows that the CER process now being implemented will reduce research and development investment by $10 billion per year. This would yield a loss of 5 million life-years annually"

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Richard Elmore of ONC presented on Query Health, recently launched initiative to develop standards and services for distributed population queries. Guidance from and linkage to the HITPC will be crucial to the success of this effort. Elmore presented the vision of Query Health as follows: ?Enable a learning health system to understand population measures of health, performance, disease, and quality, while respecting patient privacy, to improve patient and population health and reduce costs.(Source: HealthCare Technology News)

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In an attempt to demystify that role, Medco CEO David Snow told attendees at the Cleveland Clinic’s Medical Innovation Summit last week that pharmacists are not in fact doling out health information to patients. “I’m not dissing retail [pharmacy], but…there’s a fiction that a pharmacist comes out and dialogues with you,” said Snow. “In reality, a high school student hands you a script from the shelf.”(Source:PharmExec.com, Ben Comer)

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When it comes to medicine, as many as half of Americans don't stick to their regimens. They fail to fill about 20% to 30% of prescriptions written by doctors, don't take drugs as directed, and don't refill medications when they run out. Prescriptions that don't get picked up or refilled can be tracked using electronic medical records and prescribing technology. Clinical pharmacy specialists, case managers and other team members follow up with reminders, phone calls and counseling to get patients back on the wagon.(Source: WSJ, October 10, 2011)

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Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Connecticut is testing an experimental type of health plan that pays patients hundreds of dollars in cash rebates for choosing lower-cost doctors. Its new "SmartShopper" program forces customers to be aware of healthcare costs because they can compare prices, reports the Hartford Courant. "(Source:FierceHealthPayer)

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