Experts say recent price freezes by pharmaceutical companies are unlikely to result in lower out-of-pocket costs, according to a Time report. Pfizer, Novartis, Bayer are among the drugmakers who have said they will freeze prices on some of their drugs for the remainder of 2018. Merck & Co. […]
Regeneron Takes Fight to Drug Pricing System
"It's not simply about just growing your earnings per share by raising your prices," Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Cofounder Leonard Schleifer tells Forbes. Schleifer has an axe to grind with the current drug pricing practices by pharmaceutical companies in the U.S., and says he's taking active steps […]
Report: Physicians Play Key Role in Lower Drug Prices
Prescribing physicians, according to a Bloomberg report, could play a key role in bringing down the cost of drugs for patients. According to the report, a main driver of high costs is a lack of "value consciousness" from prescribing doctors as the current fee-for-service paradigm pushes them to […]
PRMA Consulting Offers Highlights of Meeting with Pricing Experts
PRMA Consulting published its highlights of a recent meeting with CAR-T and indication-specific pricing experts from across the EU5 countries. The meeting, according to PRMA Consulting, "focused on the variability among countries of payers' and policy-makers' attitudes to innovative pricing, and […]
Not Impossible Labs’ Mick Ebeling to Address AMCP Nexus
Not Impossible Labs Founder Mick Ebeling is slated to address attendees during the general session at the upcoming Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy's Nexus meeting set for Oct. 22-25 in Orlando. Ebeling was named among the "Top 50 Most Creative People" by Advertising Age, and is a two-time SXSW […]
EFPIA’s Allvin Talks Outcomes-Based Care in Europe
European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations Executive Director of Strategy and Healthcare Thomas Allvin recently discussed some of the challenges facing European health systems and the potential of outcomes-based strategies with Health Europa. "At the EFPIA, we believe that in […]
PhRMA Report: ICER Budget Impact Threshold Raises Concerns
The Institute of Clinical and Economic Review's budget impact threshold has the potential to produce "serious, negative implications" for patient access to innovative treatments, according to a PhRMA report. Avalere in a recent analysis found that the nonprofit's budget threshold could be a major […]
Dubois: Innovative Payment Solutions Required
National Pharmaceutical Council Executive Vice President and CSO Robert Dubois in an article published on STAT News says innovative payment solutions are necessary as revolutionary therapies offer long-term health benefits. One of the main drivers of innovation, Dubois writes, was the idea that […]
The 7 Most Out-of-Reach Drugs
A recent Modern Healthcare Executive report takes a look at the seven most out-of-reach drugs as a result of their high costs. Biologics, according to West Monroe Partners Senior Director and Leader of Life Sciences Ed Francis tells MHE says while biologic prices will come down, they ultimately […]
Study: Physicians Don’t Always See Financial Burden of Cancer
A recent study published in the journal Cancer found health care providers are failing to address the "financial devastation" that often comes with cancer care, according to a Reuters report. "We are seeing in our survey data, especially among vulnerable populations such as ethnic and racial […]
Planning a Health Care AI Project
While artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies are making a big impact in the health care industry, launching a project with the latest tech is a complicated, meticulous process. A recent HealthITAnalytics report offers a look at some of the key steps toward implementing AI and […]
Azar: New York Times Misleading Public on Administration’s Drug Pricing Efforts
Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar in a letter to the editor slammed the New York Times for its July 18 editorial on President Donald Trump's drug pricing efforts. Azar says the editorial "ignores the significant reforms" that have happened during Trump's presidency so far, adding "much […]
White Paper Looks at in-EHR Drug Prices
A white paper published by ConnectiveRx takes a look at its recent survey of prescribers to look into the potential impacts of in-EHR patient drug prices. ConnectiveRx surveyed more than 250 prescribers. The new white paper offers a look at some of the key findings from the survey, and how it […]
Coverage of Specialty Drugs Highly Variable Across U.S., Study Suggests
Specialty drug coverage and reimbursement is highly variable across 17 of the country's largest health insurers, according to a study published in Health Affairs, with only 15.9 percent of policies consistent across commercial plans. The study was conducted by the National Pharmaceutical Council […]
Has the Shift Toward Value-Based Care Stalled? This Study Says Yes
A study commissioned by Quest Diagnostics suggests the shift toward value-based care has not only stalled, but could have potentially take a step back, Healthcare Informatics reports. The study of 451 physicians and health plan executives aimed to glean how doctors and health plan executives see […]
Article: Value-Based Models Offer Near- and Long-Term Opportunities
Open Minds' Monica Oss says value-based reimbursement models offer provider organizations both near- and long-term opportunities. One example Oss describes in her write up is a partnership between Pennsylvania-based health system Geisinger Medacta International, a vendor for hip replacement […]
GHG’s Gorman Talks Medicare Star Ratings, Value
Gorman Health Group Founder and Executive Chairman John Gorman says the Medicare Star Rating System is one of the most significant value-based payment programs available today. "(The system) is probably the biggest value-based payment initiative, possibly on the planet," Gorman said during a […]
Engelberg: Taxpayers Deserve Reasonable Drug Prices for Federally-Funded Drug Development
Alfred Engelberg, an Engelberg Foundation trustee, says U.S. taxpayers should not be forced to pay exorbitant prices on drugs discovered using federal funding. Engelberg in a commentary published on Modern Healthcare says the pharmaceutical industry has for some time made less significant […]
Merck Avoids Lowering Cost of Blockbuster Products
While drugmaker Merck & Co. announced Thursday it would be cutting back the prices on some of its drugs, none of its major, top-selling cancer and diabetes treatments will see any lower costs, the New York Times reports. Among the drugs receiving price cuts, Zepatier, a hepatitis C drug, will […]
Is Trump’s Fight Against Drug Prices Gaining Steam?
President Donald Trump's administration's efforts to combat high drug prices could be picking up steam as major players in the pharmaceutical industry have announced price cuts and freezes on price hikes, according to Bloomberg. Merck and Co., Inc., is the latest drugmaker to announce it would trim […]
MHE: Top 10 Value-Based Care Updates
Managed Healthcare Executive has offered its top 10 updates in the world of value-based care based on a recent survey on national payers from Change Healthcare. According to the report, some 80 percent of U.S. payers have reported improvements in health care quality; 64 percent say they've seen […]
Novartis CEO Announces Freeze on Price Hikes
Novartis on Wednesday announced it has voluntarily put on hold any future price hikes planned for 2018, according to Endpoint News. "We have voluntarily pulled back on any further price increases this year," Novartis CEO Vas Narasimhan told reporters. The move comes as the pharmaceutical giant's […]
PhRMA Proposes Drug Pricing Plan in Response to Trump’s Blueprint
The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America has proposed its own plan to significantly alter how prescription drugs are priced, according to a STAT report, but it remains unclear exactly what it means for the industry. According to the report, PhRMA's plan appears to follow the path of […]
Blog Post Spotlights Two-Sided Risk for ACOs in MSSP
A recent blog post published on Health Affairs takes a look at the arguments for making health care providers move to two-sided risk in the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) following their first or second three-year performance cycle. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in 2011 […]
Are Biosimilars the Key to Boosting Access, Controlling Prices in Oncology?
Cost-saving agents like biosimilars, compounded with more cost-efficient drug development strategies, could be the key to developing a more sustainable field of oncology, NYU Langone's Perlmutter Cancer Center Associate Professor Yelena Novik says. Novik tells OncLive that the issue is a "complex" […]
Bloomberg Offers Price Indexes for Widely-Used Drugs
Bloomberg News has published a live pricing index for some of the most used and popular drugs across the globe as it attempts to measure the success of President Donald Trump's effort to cut drug prices. According to Bloomberg, the index includes prices for 40 common drugs in six different […]
Former HHS Secretaries Spotlight Challenges of Shifting Toward Value-based Care
Two former U.S. Health and Human Services secretaries in an opinion column published on The Hill discussed some of the obstacles that persist as the health care system continues to shift more focus to value-based care. "While there are several key reforms that will help us address this challenge, […]
Judge Scraps S. Dakota’s Drug Pricing Effort
A judge on Monday removed a South Dakota effort to cap drug prices in the state from a statewide ballot, STAT reports. The court reportedly found the proponents of the measure improperly garnered some of the initiative's signatures that qualified it for a statewide vote. A legal complaint filed by […]
Survey: Physicians Shouldn’t Be Responsible for Costs, But Should Have More Power
A recent survey conducted by NEJM Catalyst found that while physicians should maintain some awareness about the cost of a patient's care, they shouldn't be held responsible for the actual prices. The first survey in a three-part series, commissioned by the University of Utah Health, sought to […]
July 18 AMWA Webinar Offers HEOR Intro for Writing Professionals
The American Medical Writers Association is offering a July 18 webinar focused on offering writing professionals an introduction to the growing field of health economics and outcomes research. The online event is scheduled to kick off at 1 p.m. EST. Presenting for the event are Beth Lesher and […]
