An international survey by The Commonwealth Fund found that only 7 percent of Germans reported issues concerning health care costs since 2018, according to a Los Angeles Times report, whereas one-third of Americans reported cost-related woes. "There is a lot we could learn," AARP's Leigh Purvis […]
McKinsey Details ‘Bold’ Vision for Medical Affairs
Organizations looking to bolster their medical affairs arm must "embrace the power of technology," McKinsey writes in a new report outlining its vision for the medical-affairs function in 2025. " ... McKinsey has been working closely with industry executives to create a bold vision for the […]
The Price of Innovation: The Role of Drug Pricing in Financing Pharmaceutical Innovation
The debate on drug prices has reached new heights with the controversy around the role of prices in promoting innovation. Critics claim that prices of innovative drugs are excessive and argue that lowering prices will not harm the flourishing innovation. On the opposite end, the pharmaceutical […]
States Eye Massachusetts’ Plan to Wrangle Drug Costs
States are keeping a close eye on Massachusetts as it attempts to wrangle prescription drug spending in its MassHealth program, The Meadville Tribune reports. According to the report, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker proposed giving power to health officials to post a drug's value if it's found to […]
Optum E-Book Delves into ‘Nontraditional’ Health Data
A new e-book from Optum, titled "Harnessing the Power of Nontraditional Data in Health Care," takes a deep dive into a host of nontraditional data sources which can provide "richer insights." "Nontraditional data sources — such as social determinants of health and internet-connected devices — […]
AMCP Seeks Candidates for President-Elect, Board Directors
The Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP) is seeking applicants as it searches for a president-elect and three directors to fill its board of directors. According to AMCP, the president-elect will serve a one year-term as president-elect, one year as president and one year as the immediate past […]
Bach Takes Aim at Zolgensma Pricing
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Physician Dr. Peter Bach recently took aim at Novartis' pricing of its breakthrough gene therapy for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), Zolgensma, in a recent Health Affairs blog post. Novartis "deviated from essential standards of health economic evaluations" […]
Value in Health Supplement Spotlights Summit Presentations
Value in Health on Tuesday, June 18, announced a new supplement focused on six presentations from the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research's (ISPOR) Oct. 19, 2018, summit in Washington. The supplement, according to a press release, "extends the reach and expands access […]
AMCP Issues Call for Speakers for Nexus 2019
The Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP) has issued a call for speakers as it prepares for its upcoming Nexus 2019 meeting set for Oct. 29-Nov. 1 in Maryland. The deadline for proposal submissions is 5 p.m. EST Wednesday, July 10. Speakers will be featured in an "education opportunity" titled […]
Scientist.Com Honors 19 Women to Mark 100th Anniversary of 19th Amendment
To mark the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, Scientist.Com honored 19 women, including HealthEconomics.Com CEO and Founder Dr. Patti Peeples. Other women honored included: Neelam Vaidya, scientist; Nina Tandon, scientist; Rachel Carson, marine biologist; and Florence Nightingale, […]
TriNetX Backs Spending Bill that Includes Support for RWE
TriNetX recently expressed support for the House Appropriations Committee's recent spending bill for FY2020 which includes language supporting real-world evidence in regulatory decision making. "We applaud the committee and Representative Katerine Clark for including language that urges the FDA to […]
New IQVIA Report Offers Deep Dive into Emerging Biopharma Companies
IQVIA's latest report, "Emerging Biopharma's Contribution to Innovation," takes a deep dive into the world of emerging biopharma (EBP) companies, and how they "play a critical role in determining the future of many novel therapies and health technologies." According to the report, EBPs account for […]
ISPOR Latin America 2019 Nears
The International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research's (ISPOR) Latin America 2019 meeting is set to kick off September 12 in Bogotá, Colombia, and will take up the theme "Data and Value in Healthcare: 2020 and Beyond." Bringing in more than 1,000 stakeholders from the global health […]
Are Major Premium Hikes a Thing of the Past?
Significant spikes in premiums could be a thing of the past if early exchange rates are any indicator, FierceHealthcare reports. According to the report, 13 payers expected to participate in the Affordable Care Act markets in Washington have filed for a 1 percent increase. "This year's filings are […]
Article Spotlights ICER, Drug Prices
A recent article by Laura Happe, Journal of Managed Care and Specialty Pharmacy editor-in-chief, spotlights how the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) has become an increasingly influential entity in the drug pricing landscape. "Amidst increasing public scrutiny on the high cost of […]
Legislators Look to Collaborate with Pharma to Combat High Drug Prices
Eight Republican senators in a letter to PhRMA have asked for "cooperation" from pharmaceutical companies as they work toward solutions to high drug prices, The Hill reports. "We write today to ask, as the trade association representing the pharmaceutical industry, what solutions does your […]
ICER Plans Review of Acute Migraine Treatments
The Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) on Friday, June 7, announced plans to assess the comparative clinical effectiveness and value of acute migraine treatments. According to a press release, the organization will review Biohaven's rimegepant, Allergan's ubrogepant and Eli Lilly's […]
New York Dismisses Criticism Over Erectile Dysfunction Report
The New York Department of Health has denounced recent criticisms over a report that the state's Medicaid program paid more than $60,000 for sexual and erectile dysfunction drugs for 47 sex offenders, the Democrat & Chronicle reports. Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli in a statement said "there are […]
Doctor Evidence Unleashes AI to Distinguish RWE-Based Studies
Global consulting company Doctor Evidence has reportedly trained artificial intelligence (AI) to identify studies based off real-world evidence (RWE), according to an AiThority report. The consultancy was on hand at AcademyHealth's annual meeting in Washington to offer a glimpse into the new […]
BioNJ Releases White Paper on Demonstrating Value
A new white paper from BioNJ, authored by ApexBio President and Founder Shailja Dixit and Center for Medicine in the Public Interest Vice President and Founder Robert Goldberg, outlines a framework by which companies can demonstrate the value of innovative products before market entry. Goldberg in […]
Nationalizing Insulin? Former CMS Chief Says Yes
Former Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services administrator Andy Slavitt recently suggested nationalizing insulin as a solution to its high costs, STAT reports. "Today, I recommended to the National Academy of Science Panel on Chronic Illness that we nationalize insulin and make it a public […]
Sharpless: FDA Open to Considering RWE for Expanded Use of New Cancer Drugs
Acting Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Ned Sharpless said during a recent conference that the agency was "open for business" for considering real-world evidence (RWE) for additional uses of new cancer drugs, BioPharma Dive reports. Sharpless said that while randomized controlled […]
Report: Health Care Organizations Must Bolster Digital Efforts
In order to deliver optimum health care in an increasingly digital landscape, organizations "must master a new set of emerging digital technologies," Accenture suggests in a new report. Out of the 221 health executives surveyed for the study, 77 percent of them said their employees were "more […]
FDA to Expand Access to Unapproved Cancer Drugs
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is launching a new initiative aimed at bolstering its "expanded access" program, the Washington Post reports. Richard Pazdur, FDA Oncology Center for Excellence director, tells the Post the agency wants to create a clear path for physicians interested in the […]
Peer Review for Preprints?
Researcher Wang LingFeng in a recent blog post outlines how a peer review process could be implemented for preprints, The Publication Plan reports. LingFeng in his post published on the LSE Impact Blog also looks at how a suggested Community Peer Review model could also have unintended […]
Express Scripts Plans ‘Digital Health Formulary’
Pharmacy benefit manager Express Scripts is planning to deploy the first "digital health formulary" in 2020, according to an MMIT report. West Monroe Partners' Nathan Ray says the new digital initiative will incorporate old techniques for managing "new digital health solutions." "A formulary […]
Authors of New Drug Pricing Report Say Pharma Abuses Protections
The authors of a recent drug pricing article published in JAMA recommend government action to curb high drug prices and potential exploits of patient protections, NBC reports. "The United States provides drug companies with the strongest patent protections in the world, but legal strategies in the […]
FTI Consulting Working with Pfizer on Drug Pricing
FTI Consulting is reportedly working with pharmaceutical giant Pfizer on drug pricing matters, according to a Consulting.us report. Few details were provided in the report regarding the scope of the arrangement. Pfizer is one of 20 organizations involved in a massive lawsuit led by Connecticut […]
Optum: These Five Drugs to Have Major Impact on Market
Onasemnogene abeparvovec, NKTR-181, golodirsen, upadacitinib and tafamidis meglumine are poised to have a significant impact on the drug market, according to a new OptumRx report. Novartis' Zolgensma, a gene therapy for spinal muscular atrophy, was the latest drug to hit the market with tremendous […]
CMS Chief Verma Targets Embattled Health System
Seema Verma, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) administrator, is set on helping bring about a health care system devoted to value and transparency, the American Journal of Managed Care (AJMC) reports. CMS under Verma has pushed to improve data sharing in the health care industry. The […]
