The combination of aggressive pricing pressures for payer access, the rapid pace of wearable technology development, and payers' receptivity to creative solutions for overall cost saving will motivate manufacturers to move beyond the pill in 2015. Read more here. (Source: Richard Prest, Finsights, […]
Specialty Spending Growing Fastest in Exchange Plans
A recent report by Express Scripts has found specialty drug spending growing considerably more in exchange plans compared to commercial health plans. Learn more about why here. (Source: Gina Shaw, Specialty Pharmacy Continuum, 7/15/15) […]
What Does the 21st Century Cures Mean for CROs?
Clinical Trials in the US are looking at a host of new provisions after a recent US House committee bill was passed. What impact will these provisions have on the way contract research organizations (CROs) operate? Find out here. (Source: Zachary Brennan, OutsourcingPharma.com, 6/17/15) […]
US House Passes 21st Century Cures Act
Passed with an overwhelming majority, the House recently passed the 21st Century Cures Act. What will the bill do and how will it be paid for? Learn more here. (Source: Zachary Brennan, OutsourcingPharma.com, 7/10/15) […]
Why Are the Feds Discouraging Prescription Drug Competition
Avalere Health recently conducted a survey to find out how the current regulatory framework dissuades drug makers from developing information that they can't promote or speak about. How can we discuss Value when comparative studies are not being conducted and when they are, they are not allowed to […]
Is the 340B Drug Pricing Program Leading to Increased Hospital Spending?
A recent audit by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) looks at increased spending in hospitals with Medicare's 340B Drug Pricing Program. Is Medicare's 340B Drug Pricing Program leading to the prescription of more drugs, or more expensive drugs? See more here. (Source: Emily Rappleye, […]
FDA and PatientsLikeMe Team Up to Enhance Post-Market Surveillance
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is teaming up with PatientsLikeMe to explore how patient generated data could help inform regulatory review activities related to risk assessment and risk management. See more here. (Source: Dominic Tyer, PMLiVE, 7/2015) […]
What Will The Novartis Performance Pricing Look Like?
Novartis is getting creative with the pricing of its much-anticipated heart failure remedy, Entresto. A possible performance-based pricing system would come with a discount up front with bonus payments down the line if Entresto does what it is expected to. Learn more here. (Source: FiercePharma, […]
What will Big Pharma Think of the New ASCO Scorecard?
The American Society of Clinical Oncology recently published an oncology drug rating scale, in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. The scorecard was designed to simplify decision making by listing benefits, side effects and costs. Read more here. (Source: Tracy Staton, FiercePharma, 6/23/15) […]
Take a First Look at 2015 Public Exchange Pharmacy Trends
Express Scripts recently released its third edition of the Express Scripts Exchange Pulse report. How does the first quarter of 2015 compare? See more here. (Source: CNN Money, 7/1/15) […]
How Elastic is America’s Orphan Drug Pricing?
If you are using orphan drug prices as a barometer-of-sorts to measure the broader US pricing climate, then you can rest easy following approval of Vertex's cystic fibrosis treatment Orkambi. Set to be launched with a list price of $259 000 per-patient, per-year, Orkambi is priced at the top end of […]
What do All of These Insurance Mergers Mean for Patients?
The United States has recently become the land of Insurance Mergers. What does all of this mean for patients? See more here. (Source: Reed Abelson, The New York Times, 7/5/15) […]
Aetna to Buy Humana for $37 Billion
The recently announced cash-and-stock deal could make Aetna the nation's second-largest insurer for the price of $37 Billion! Get more details here. (Source: Modern Healthcare, 7/3/15) […]
8 Healthcare Reform Issues Beyond King v Burwell
The recent King v Burwell resolution settled the status of the Affordable Care Act, for the time being anyway, but health reform in the U.S. is much bigger than the ACA. Check out this article for eight overarching healthcare reform issues to follow in the coming weeks and months. See more here. […]
ASCO Introduces a New Tool for Rating Cancer Drugs
The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) has introduced a standardized method for scoring cancer drugs based on benefit/risk profiles, made available alongside each drug's price, to allow physicians and patients to have a more open discussion about how to proceed with treatment. Subscription […]
This One Year Program Has Reduced Re-admissions by 70%
Catamaran Corp. and Health New England Inc., recently announced results from a one-year Hospital Transition Program, demonstrating the importance of transitional medication therapy management. See the details here. (Source: PR Newswire, 6/25/15) […]
What do You Think About the NHS Plan to Stamp Prices on Prescription Drugs?
In a recent effort to costs, The UK's NHS has decided to have the price labelled on the packaging of every prescribed drugs that cost the NHS more than 20 pounds, along with the words "funded by the UK taxpayer." They are hoping this plan will reduce waste, while at the same time boost adherence. […]
Meet the ISPOR 2015-2016 Board of Directors
The International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) recently announced the Society's 2015-2016 Board of Directors to take office effective July 1, 2015. See who was elected, here. (Source: ISPOR, 2015) […]
4 Reasons Why Pharma Must Use Digital to Engage Payers
Increasing scrutiny on cost and outcomes is having an unprecedented impact on formulary decisions. As a result, marketers in pharmaceutical companies charged with engaging with payers are under more pressure than ever to stay relevant and influence formulary decision makers. See Manhattan Research's […]
Novartis to Test New Pricing Model
Novartis' new heart failure drug, Entresto, is on track for potential U.S.approval in August. As they await its launch, Novartis is planning to test a novel pricing model with some customers, putting them into the position of sharing the risk. Read more here. (Source: Ben Hirschler, Reuters, […]
How Many Doctors Does it Take to Start a Healthcare Revolution?
The practice of medicine has been subsumed by the business of medicine. This is great news for healthcare shareholders - and bad news for pretty much everyone else. Listen to this new Freakonomics Radio Podcast, How Many Doctors Does it Take to Start a Healthcare Revolution? (Source: Stephen J. […]
Racial Bias in Healthcare, How do We Close the Gap?
Racial bias in the American health care system continues to be a serious problem, with racial disparities in health care and health outcomes existing in almost every single disease or condition. What is currently being done to put an end to this and how do we continue to close the gap? Read more […]
Opdivo, First Lung Cancer Drug Approved by EAMS
Under a new scheme designed to speed up market access in the United Kingdom, the Early Access to Medicines Scheme (EAMS) has approved Bristol-Myers Squibb's new lung cancer drug, Opdivo. See more here. (Source: PMLiVE, 6/30/15) […]
Fraudulent Reports Dictating Worldwide Healthcare: How Big of a Problem is it?
Dr. Richard Horton, Editor-in-chief of the Lancet, recently published a statement declaring that a shocking amount of published research is unreliable at best, if not completely false, as in, fraudulent. Just how big of an issue is this really? The corruption of the medical industry worldwide is a […]
NICE Recommends Biosimilars Ahead of Remicade
NICE has recommended two new biosimilar versions of Remicade, Inflectra and Remsima, and says these new treatments should be used ahead of the original patented medicine. Final draft guidance on the subject is expected to be published in October. Read more here. (Source: Ben Adams, PMLiVE, 6/22/15) […]
Consumers Demand for Price Transparency, Could Cost More in the End
A speaker a the Healthcare Financial Management Association's Annual National Institute offered a sobering take on the subject of price transparency, the limits of the data on decision making, and how it could end up costing more in the end. Login required to read full article, here. (Source: Modern […]
Greek Pharmacist Fighting Modern Day Neo-Colonialism
After Greece has decreased its healthcare spending, Greek pharmacies are facing drug shortages of almost everything; antibiotics, vaccines, high blood pressure medication and so on. Greece's international creditors have some changes in mind, of which, Pharmacist Giannis Dagres talks on the dangers […]
Seven Questions for Personalized Medicine
This viewpoint seeks to stimulate a balanced debate by posing 7 questions for the advocates of personalized medicine: Does the human genome contribute to disease risk prediction? Will gene-based drug targeting and development fulfill its promise? What will EMRs Contribute? What kinds of […]
Hospitals Push First Quarter Growth Over 7%
According to first-quarter U.S. Census Bureau data, the amount of money pumped into the healthcare system is growing at a much more rapid rate than estimated, up 7.2% in the first quarter, much of it spurred by hospitals. Login required to view full article, here. (Source: Bob Herman, Modern […]
