Acting Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Ned Sharpless during two recent events showed interest, according to a Regulatory Affairs Professionals Society, in keeping the agency on a similar path as former chief Scott Gottlieb. Sharpless recently spoke at the Food and Drug Law […]
Would Drug Prices in TV Ads Push People Away or Boost Interest?
With the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) developing a proposal that would force drugmakers to include a drug's list price in direct-to-consumer TV ads, there remains some skepticism about the impact of such a rule. According to a Wall Street Journal report, consumers have expressed […]
Doctor Takes to Twitter Over Complex Health Care System
Dr. Hasan Shanawani, a top physician at the Department of Veterans Affairs, recently lit up his Twitter feed following a frustrating health care event involving his father, who had been admitted with a spinal fracture, and a convoluted health system. According to a Kaiser Health News report, […]
Trump Rebate Proposal Sees Mixed Reactions
The Trump administration's proposal to eliminate rebates between pharmaceutical companies and pharmacy benefit managers has seen a flurry of mixed reactions, but most key health care groups say Medicaid should be left alone, STAT reports. The administration argues that cutting out some of the […]
Report: Shadowy Expert Committees Influence Coverage Decisions
While pharmacy and therapeutics (P&T) committees have had significant influence in drug coverage decisions for decades, their workings remain mostly shrouded in secrecy, Reuters reports. According to the report, experts on those committees recently suggested that three new drugs aimed at […]
ISPOR Announces Award Honorees
The International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) on April 29 announced three award honorees as it gears up for an upcoming award banquet as part of its 2019 meeting. The award banquet is set to kick off at 7:30 p.m. May 19. ISPOR's 2019 meeting is slated to begin May 18 […]
Policymakers Slam Trump’s Step Therapy Proposal
Republicans and Democrats on a House Energy & Commerce Committee subcommittee recently criticized the Trump administration's proposal to introduce step therapy into parts of Medicare, Modern Healthcare reports. The proposal, committee members said, could threaten patient access to key […]
Opinion: Take Advantage of Cost Effectiveness to Cut Prices
Cost effectiveness assessments should be more widely used as a way to wrangle rising drug prices, the author of a recent opinion piece published in The Inquirer writes. Using cost effectiveness is one solution that could help cut drug prices without creating conflict with the pharmaceutical […]
Trump, Dems Discuss Action on Drug Prices in Meeting
President Donald Trump and Democrats during a recent meeting agreed that both parties should work together toward bipartisan solutions to lower drug prices, The Hill reports. White House Press Secretary Sarah said the discussion at the White House meeting led to some agreement about meeting again […]
Symposium to Spotlight Louisiana’s Netflix-Style Payment Model
Louisiana's proposed Netflix-style payment model to pay for curative hepatitis C medicines will take center stage at a pre-conference symposium at the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research's (ISPOR) upcoming meeting in New Orleans. According to a National Pharmaceutical […]
Activists Flock to PhRMA HQ
Some 200 activists on Monday, April 29, took to the streets outside PhRMA's Washington headquarters to protest the trade association's alleged role in blocking "Medicare for All," STAT reports. The protesters later made their way through the building's entrance, according to the report, plastering […]
‘Pricing Label’ Seen on LinkedIn
We aren't sure of the original source of this graphic, although this mock pricing label references Warhaftig Associates. The developers have hit the nail on the head as perhaps a not-so-tongue-in-cheek way to address the recent call for price transparency. […]
Recent ICON Paper Points to Higher-Than Expected Impact of ICER Assessments
A recent paper by ICON suggests the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review's (ICER) drug assessments carry more weight in decision-making among payers than originally expected, according to an article published on Forbes. The white paper, titled "Industry Perceptions and Expectations: The Role […]
ISPOR Seeks Input From Membership on EMA Document
The International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) is asking members to complete a survey as it prepares to respond to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) recent document, "EMA Regulatory Science to 2025." Members are asked to complete the survey by Tuesday, May […]
AFPE Seeks Nominations for Mentor of the Year
The American Foundation for Pharmaceutical Education (AFPE) is seeking nominations from its fellows as it prepares to select the 2019 AFPE William M. Heller Mentor of the Year. Past winners of the award include: Kathleen Giacomini, University of California; Gordon Amidon, University of […]
HHS Initiative Aims to Transition Primary Care Out of Fee-for-Service
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on Monday, April 29, announced a new initiative which will look to move primary care out of a fee-for-service model and into a global fee model, according to a Modern Healthcare report. During an event in Washington, HHS Secretary Alex Azar said the […]
Valid Insight Earns Prestigious Award
Global market access consultancy Valid Insight this week announced it had received a top U.K. business award, the Queen's Award for Enterprise: International Trade. Queen Elizabeth on Tuesday, April 23, announced she had OK'd the prime minister's recommendation for Valid Insight to receive the […]
ISPOR Announces Keynote Speaker for New Orleans Meeting
The International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) announced Exponential Medicine Founder Daniel Kraft would deliver the keynote address for its upcoming meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana. ISPOR's meeting is slated to kick off May 18 and last through May 22. The keynote […]
Deloitte’s Reh Says Trump Rebate Proposal Could Boost Value-Focused Competition
The Trump administration's point-of-sale rebate proposal could bolster value-centered competition, Deloitte Vice Chairman and life science chief Greg Reh says. According to an InsideHealthPolicy report, Reh said assessing a drug's effectiveness against alternative treatments could enable drugmakers […]
Biotech Firms Look to Outcomes-Based Pricing
Bluebird Bio is one of the latest biotech companies moving toward value-based pricing models after announcing in January it would split payments for its gene therapy to cure inherited blood disorder into five yearly installments, according to an article published in the Atlantic. According to the […]
Franklin Pharmaceutical Consulting Expands Senior Team
Franklin Pharmaceutical Consulting (FPC) on Monday, April 22, announced a new addition to its senior ranks with the appointment of Nathan White as the new senior vice president and head of value and access. According to a press release, White brings to the table more than 10 years of experience in […]
Release of Reinhardt’s Latest Book Nears
Uwe Reinhardt's newest book, "Priced Out: The Economic and Ethical Costs of American Health Care," is slated to publish posthumously next month, and will feature forwards by Paul Krugman, New York Times columnist, and former legislator Bill Frist, according to Managed Care magazine. The book is […]
NICE to Discuss New META Module at Med-Tech Innovation Expo
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is slated to discuss a new module to its Medtech Early Technical Assessment (META tool) during the upcoming Med-Tech Innovation Expo in Birmingham, U.K. Jeanette Kusel, director for the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence […]
Magill: Biopharma Must be Open to New Pathways
The biopharmaceutical industry should maintain its high standards for evidence and data, but should also be open to new pathways for evidence as interest in real-world evidence continues to grow, Aetion CEO Carolyn Magill writes in a recent article published on MedCity News. Magill points to the […]
Article: Time is Biggest Obstacle to Shared Decision Making
While shared decision making is vital in a patient's care during a host of complex situations, time is cited by patients and clinicians as the most significant obstacle, according to an article published on JAMA. "Time can be considered an organizing tool that controls what happens and when," the […]
Health Canada Increases Interest in RWE, Encourages Submissions
Health Canada is walking in tandem with the U.S. as it is looks to evaluate how it could better implement real-world evidence and tackle some key concerns, according to a Regulatory Affairs Professionals Society report. "We encourage RWE submissions (1) that aim to expand evidence-based indications […]
NHC Spotlights FDA’s Roadmap on Patient-Focused Outcome Measurement
The National Health Council (NHC) in a recent post outlines the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Roadmap to Patient-Focused Outcome Measurement in Clinical Trials. The council also recently hosted a webinar on the FDA's effort "to help researchers understand and then develop new or adapt […]
ISMPP Releases Open Access White Paper
The International Society for Medical Publication Professionals (ISMPP) during its recent meeting in National Harbor, Maryland, released a new open access white paper, "A Multistakeholder Discussion on Open Access and Medical Publishing." The release marks ISMPP's first-ever white paper, according […]
Case Study Outlines Premera Blue Cross Data Solution
A new case study sponsored by InterSystems outlines how Premera Blue Cross's data solution combines claims and clinical data to bolster health care and overall business performance. "Forward looking health plans need a near real-time view into the health and care of their members, and into their […]
ISPOR Announces 2019 HEOR Awards
The International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) on Monday, April 15, announced the honorees for this year's HEOR Scientific and Leadership Awards. According to a release, the awards are "designed to foster and recognize excellence and outstanding technical achievement […]
