AstraZeneca has announced a new team-up with Qure.ai and a UK-based clinical team in a pilot trial to test the diagnostic capabilities of Qure.ai’s qXR software in identifying lung cancer from X-ray images. The trial will be held in clinics in Greater Manchester, which is noted for having some of […]
Pfizer and China in Deadlock Over High Paxlovid Price Amid COVID Surge
As China struggles with a massive surge in cases following the end of its COVID Zero policy, the nation’s officials are at odds with Pfizer over the cost of its COVID-19 pill Paxlovid. Critics of big pharma argue that the middle of an outbreak is not the time to be playing hardball, but […]
Zerenia Clinic Receives First NHS Reimbursement for Cannabis-Based Treatment
Zerenia Clinics has achieved a new milestone for by receiving full reimbursement from the UK’s NHS for costs related to cannabis-based treatments. The company, owned by Khiron, noted that the reimbursement is their first of its kind for outside clinics that specialize in cannabis-based products for […]
FDA – Last Week in Review
Last week, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) made key decisions regarding the approval of multiple medications and accepted submissions of a few others. First, the agency approved the use of semaglutide as a first-line diabetes therapy. In addition, it accepted the application for […]
Pharma Industry to Continue Facing Inflationary Pressure Through 2023
High inflation rates will continue battering the pharma industry throughout 2023, according to a new Pharmaceutical Technology article. Although inflation appears to be abating in the US this year, it may fall more slowly abroad, impacting growth. In addition, drug pricing reform in the US weighs […]
State Medicaid Officials Look to Make Pandemic-Era Telehealth Expansions Permanent
A recent survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) found Medicaid officials from several US states were looking to make telehealth expansions enacted during the pandemic permanent. The survey was made available to Medicaid officials in every state, with several saying they would continue […]
State of California Files Suit Against Pharma Companies and PBMs Over High Insulin Pricing
The US state of California has filed suit against major pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) and the biggest manufacturers of insulin over high prices. The state argues that the companies have undue influence over the market as major players and leverage the relative lack of […]
AbbVie and Eli Lilly Exit Voluntary UK Drug Pricing Agreement
The pharma giants AbbVie and Eli Lilly have backed out of an agreement between the UK government and Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) that capped spending growth of branded medications to the NHS at 2% per year. The ABPI maintains that the government program’s requirements […]
Black and Latino Medicaid Recipients Less Likely to Receive New Epilepsy Drugs
A recently published study in Neurology Clinical Practice found that Medicaid patients were less likely to be prescribed newer third-generation antiseizure medications (ASMs) if they were Black, Latino, Pacific Islander, or Native Hawaiian. These drugs tend to perform better and have less side […]
Ipsen Will Acquire Albireo to Expand Rare Disease Drug Pipeline
The French biopharma company Ipsen has announced the future acquisition of Albireo, a company specializing in drugs for rare diseases. A key drug Ipsen will gain from the deal is Bylvay, a drug used to treat rare pediatric liver diseases, including children with pruritus in progressive familiar […]
Advancing AI Literacy in Health Sciences
Artificial intelligence (AI) is taking an increasingly prominent role in health sciences, allowing for quicker processing of massive, complex datasets to promote research, business decision-making, and patient health outcomes. However, a lack of understanding of AI hampers these efforts. A new […]
Insulin Manufacturers and PBMs Sued by State of California in Pricing Practices Dispute
The US state of California has filed suit against three major pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) and the three largest insulin manufacturers over practices meant to spike the price of insulin. The pharma companies, including Novo Nordisk, Eli Lilly, and Sanofi, are accused of colluding, while the PBMs […]
Improving Data Quality to Target Social Determinants of Health
Although increasing efforts have been made to address social determinants of health (SDoH) to improve health equity, poor or inconsistent data sources get in the way of progress. The American Medical Association (AMA) has put forward several initiatives to help address SDoH data standards that […]
HHS to Pick Drugs Subject to Medicare Price Negotiations by September
In an announcement this week, the US Department of Health and Human Services has revealed its schedule for the leadup to Medicare drug price negotiations, as granted by the Inflation Reduction Act. While negotiations don’t commence until 2026, the list of 10 drugs to be negotiated will be released […]
Value-Based Contracts on the Rise
With the increasing adoption of high-price biologic therapies that offer potential long-term relief for small patient populations, other payment models like value-based contracts are being hotly debated by pharma, providers, and payers. These models account for the long-term benefits of the […]
CERSI Summit Attendees Discuss Barriers to Wider Real-World Evidence Adoption
At this years’ Innovations in Regulatory Science Summit, hosted by the UCSF-Stanford Center of Excellence in Regulatory Science and Innovation (CERSI), speakers talked about the hurdles faced in expanding the use of real-world evidence (RWE) and real-world data (RWD). Jeff Shuren of the FDA noted […]
North Carolina May See Last Medicaid Expansion in Some Time
The US state of North Carolina will soon vote on whether to expand Medicaid coverage within the state, thereby potentially leaving the ranks of states that have not expanded Medicaid to 10. Republican opposition to the expansion has shifted in the state legislature, with some top former opponents […]
A Slate of 10 Humira Biosimilars to Hit US Market in 2023
Abbvie’s 20-year competition-free history is set to end in 2023, with as many as 10 biosimilars for its notoriously expensive Humira headed to the US this year. The first, Amgen’s Amjevita, hits the market this month, with several others to follow as the US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services […]
Real-World Data Study Finds Black and Hispanic Patients Receive Less Opioids During End-of-Life Care
A recently published study in the Journal of Clinical Oncology found that Black and Hispanic patients with cancer were significantly less likely to receive opioids during end-of-life care. In addition, the results, which came from nearly 320,000 Medicare patients 65 and older, also showed that Black […]
APAC Therapeutic Access and Financing Trends to Watch in 2023
The market access and reimbursement landscape in APAC is set to shift in 2023, according to a new interview with Jeff Weisel, APAC managing director for PRMA Consulting. Weisel notes that global economic forces will play a significant role in payer decision-making in APAC, with inflation and the […]
New Digital Health Solution by Molecular You Uses Blood Test to Recommend Interventions that Improve Outcomes in 100 Days
Molecular You has released a new digital health solution that generates actionable interventions based on the results of a blood test. The company’s recent real-world data (RWD) pilot study found that patients acting on these interventions had risk reductions of 50% in health metrics associated with […]
Real-World Data Shows Bivalent Omicron COVID-19 Booster Reduces Hospitalization in Older Adults
Newly published research in Lancet finds that the bivalent Omicron COVID-19 booster shots substantially reduced hospitalization rates in people over the ages of 65. The study, which used real-world data of 85,000 older adults taking the Pfizer bivalent booster, showed that older adults taking it […]
Drug Pricing in 2023 – Five Key Issues to Look Out For
As the pharma industry leaves a tumultuous 2022 in terms of drug pricing, 2023 does not seem any less turbulent. Congress and the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) are zeroing in on pharmacy benefit managers (PBM) while pharma prepares their legal rebuttals to the drug pricing reform included in the […]
Biosimilar Uptake on the Rise in Europe
A newly released report by IQVIA finds that the uptake of biosimilars is growing in 23 European countries. Spending on biologics grew in the past year, accounting for 35% of total drug spending. Biosimilars now directly compete with 18 original biologics in the region, with nearly 4 copycats per […]
India’s NPPA Finalizes Price Caps on 128 Formulations
India’s National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority has announced final price caps for 2023, affecting some 128 formulations. The list includes new ceiling prices for 97 formulations and revised prices for an additional 31. Included on the list are treatments for conditions like seizures, intestinal […]
Moderna Eyes ~$120 COVID-19 Vaccine Price Tag
Moderna is looking to price its mRNA COVID-19 vaccine between $110 and $130 per shot, according Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel in an interview on Monday. The US government currently pays a discounted price of $26 per dose, but as the contract and the public health emergency comes to an end, most […]
Paxlovid Not on China’s Reimbursement List
As the nation phases out its zero-COVID strategy following major protests, China’s National Healthcare Security Administration has left Pfizer’s Paxlovid off its reimbursement list. This comes as cases spike in the nation, with many patients purchasing the drug off the internet through India. […]
High Price of New Alzheimer’s Drug May Reduce Patient Access
With the successful accelerated US approval of lecanemab, Eisei and Biogen’s new Alzheimer’s drug, some worry the drug’s high price will limit access to many patients. The Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) estimated the drug’s value somewhere between $8,500 and $28,000 per biweekly […]
FDA Makes Abortion Pill More Accessible Nationwide
In response to crackdowns on abortion rights in the US after Roe v. Wade was overturned, the Food and Drug Administration has changed risk evaluation and mitigation strategy (REMS) policies regarding Mifeprex, an abortion pill, that will increase patient access. The drug was formerly only available […]
Chiesi Acquires Amryt Pharma in $1.48B Deal to Broaden Rare Disease Efforts
Chiesi Farmaceutici S.p.A and Amyryr Pharma Plc have announced a new deal wherein the former will acquire the latter in an all-cash transaction topping $1.48 billion. The deal would provide Chiesi access to Amryt’s drug pipeline, with a focus on broadening its efforts in therapeutic development for […]
