US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump join the growing ranks of world leaders infected by COVID-19. It is abundantly clear that this pandemic does not discriminate. Measures aimed at containing the spread of COIVD have led to severe economic upheaval and decline not seen since the […]
Educating the Next Leaders in Applied HEOR: Jefferson’s Unique Approach
Online education for the working professional is experiencing exponential growth. In the field of Health Economics and Outcomes Research (HEOR), there are several paths a student can take for experiential, innovative, and respected graduate education. Dr. Patti Peeples, CEO of […]
The Influence of HEOR Data on Payer Formulary Coverage
A recent study presented by ISPOR demonstrated how HEOR data positively influenced changes to US payer formulary coverage. Investigators surveyed the scientific literature and industry and payer policy to evaluate instances of HEOR datasets impacting US formulary coverage in a tangible way. For […]
Cost-Sharing Waivers for COVID-19 Treatment Are Expiring
Cost-sharing waivers for COVID-19 treatment are due to expire in the upcoming months. Approximately 88% in individual and fully insured group markets have plans that limit out-of-pocket costs for COVID-19 treatment. After factoring waivers that have already expired, roughly 50% of enrollees in such […]
Payer Contact in a “Contactless” World: Achieving Early Engagement
The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted life sciences organizations to quickly pivot their payer strategic approach and tactical implementation. Engaging payers has never been more essential. Demand for information early in drug development continues to increase. In the first of a two-part series on […]
Kamala Harris Is No Friend to Pharma
Vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris is not exactly the centrist the media are making her out to be—especially when it comes to healthcare. Harris has long-been a supporter of a government-run healthcare system and was the first senator to support the "Medicare for all" bills put forth in 2017 […]
Lilly + Prime Therapeutics Push the Envelope on Next Generation Value-based Agreements
Lilly has partnered with Prime Therapeutics to explore how value-based arrangements (VBA’s) can be used to improve patient outcomes while lowering healthcare costs. Lily and Prime will explore VBA’s that include patient-focused value metrics, use value-based insurance design (VBID) to reduce […]
OM1 Insights: How We Use AI to Find Rare Disease Patients
"Correctly identifying a patient with a rare disease can be like looking for a needle in a haystack", according to Dr. Joseph Zabinski, Director, AI & Precision Medicine at OM1. But what if we could apply a magnet to the haystack, taking advantage of ‘hidden’ properties that – even without being […]
Real-world Evidence Put to the Test: Medicare’s New Codes for Remdesivir
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has created new ICD-10-PCS procedure reimbursement codes to facilitate the generation of critical real-world evidence data on the effectiveness of COVID products. However, they warned that these will likely suffer from a "claims lag". The codes, […]
COVID-19 Vaccine Pricing: Are the Manufacturers Signaling their Intent?
The Wall Street Journal is reporting that vaccine manufacturers are signaling the price for coronavirus vaccines, with prices ranging from as low as $4 per dose to greater than $70 for a regimen. In their Q2 review Wednesday morning, Moderna says its vaccine is commanding a relatively high price, […]
Gilead Pricing of Remdesivir is “Immoral”, Says Pennsylvania’s Treasurer
Joe Torsella, Pennsylvania's elected treasurer, has come out swinging, calling Gilead Sciences "immoral" for their efforts to wring profit out the investigational drug remdesiver for the treatment of COVID-19. Priced between $320-$520 per vial, Torsella states that he believes the company is […]
Invoke a 1980’s Law to Lower Cost of Remdesivir for COVID-19, says 31 State Attorneys General
A coalition of attorneys general (AG) have requested the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to invoke a federal patent law to lower prices of remdesivir for COVID-19, with the hopes that this will also increase the supply of the drug. The bipartisan group has addressed the HHS, FDA and […]
Trump’s “Buy American” Executive Order Could Raise Drug Prices
Tensions escalate with pharma as President Trump signs an executive order (EO) today directing the federal government to buy certain drugs and supplies solely from American factories. This action could cause an enormous shake-up of the drug industry, with some industry followers suggesting that up […]
What is the Global Access Impact of COVID-19? DRG and Context Matters Weighs In
Mike Ward, Global Head of Thought Leadership at Decision Resources Group talks with Steve Edgar of DRG Global Market Access and Judith Rubinstein, Senior Director of Market Access Data with Context Matters, a Decision Resources Group company. In this video conversation, hear insights about how […]
Aetion analyzes RWE impact in 4 recent FDA decisions in infectious disease
Senior Directors from Aetion (Purpura and Harvey) analyzed four approvals for products intended to treat or prevent infectious diseases from 2019 that included RWE studies to highlight how foreign postmarketing data improves understanding of a product’s risk-benefit profile. The products examined […]
Trump v. Pharma: a “Kinda Sorta” War
Politico summarizes Trump's "kinda sorta" war with pharma, kicked off last week with presidential tweets about "nasty" drug ads that "lied" about the impact of his pricing executive orders on senior's drug premiums and the price of prescription drugs. It's unclear exactly which drug ads he was […]
Not interested: Pharma execs refuse White House meeting over drug pricing executive orders
Trump's recent executive orders linking drug prices in Medicare to lower prices abroad caused a significant rift with the pharma industry executives. Executives declined to attend a White House meeting scheduled for Tuesday, July 28 on drug prices, according to media reports. Industry argues such […]
Viewpoint in JAMA: Integrating Personalized Medicine with Population Health Management: The Path Forward
In this viewpoint article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the authors posit that genome-wide DNA sequencing will likely become a part of regular medical practice and represents an era of ‘personalized medicine’. Costs associated with genomic screening will be […]
Dread Expressed by Public Health Experts on Hurried FDA Signoff on COVID-19 Vaccine
Eighty-nine sites are enrolling patients in the landmark Phase 3 trial for Moderna Therapeutics vaccine kicked off on Monday, July 27, with the target goal of 30,000 people total, and 15,000 by the end of this week. Dr. Anthony Fauci, infectious disease expert and advisor to the White House, stated […]
New Platform for Affordable Genomic Cancer Profiling Launched
A next-generation sequencing reference laboratory will use artificial intelligence (AI) to advance precision medicine to determine genomic signatures, first for cancer then other prevalent conditions. The goal of the tests is to offer diagnostic, prognostic, and predictive information about […]
IFAPP, MAPS Course Offers Certificate in Medicine Development
An online course hosted by IFAPP Academy in partnership with the Medical Affairs Professional Society (MAPS) aims to give medical affairs experts greater insight into the drug development pipeline. The application for the course, which runs Sept. 7 through Dec. 4, is due by Sept. 1. "If you’re […]
Aetna Launching 2 New Plan Benefit Designs
Aetna announced plans to launch two new plan benefit designs aimed at addressing growing concerns by employers about high-deductible plans, Fierce Healthcare reports. Aetna's Justin Steinman, vice president and head of product solutions and management, tells Fierce Healthcare the Upfront […]
Reminder: ICER Webinar on Cost-Recovery Pricing for COVID-19 Drugs is Tomorrow
The first installment of the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review's (ICER) three-part webinar series on drug pricing models for COVID-19 treatments is tomorrow, July 24. Set to begin at noon, the webinar will explore cost-recovery pricing, a model used to cover costs associated with […]
Webinar to Highlight Challenges of Value Assessment Amid Pandemic
An upcoming webinar sponsored by the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) and the Innovation and Value Initiative will present ISPOR's definition of "patient engagement in research." The webinar, which will be moderated by Shelby Reed, is set to begin 1 p.m. […]
Datta: CMS Proposal a ‘Grab-bag of Issues’
Sidley Austin LLP's Meena Datta told HealthLeaders that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' (CMS) latest proposal is a "grab-bag of issues." Datta said the proposal, which looks to ease regulations on value-based deals, addresses issues for which the health industry has long sought […]
DRG Offers COVID-19 Resources on Website
DRG has compiled a suite of resources to support life sciences companies amid the COVID-19 pandemic. "We've assembled resources to help companies support their customers and plan for the post-pandemic marketplace," DRG says on its website. "We'll be updating this site with fresh content […]
Eversana Acquires HVH Precision Analytics to Beef Up Data, Analytics Capabilities
Eversana has acquired HVH Precision Analytics from Havas Health & You in a bid to bolster its data analytics capabilities, MM&M reports. While HH&Y often described HVH as its "secret weapon," according to the report, it and Eversana will maintain a strategic partnership moving […]
Bach Outlines ‘Gaping’ Loophole in Medicaid Proposal
A Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services proposal includes a "gaping" loophole through which drugmakers could avoid selling drugs to Medicaid for the lowest possible price, Peter Bach writes in a Health Affairs Blog post. The proposal, he writes, opens the door for drugmakers to exploit […]
Report Spotlights Marketing During COVID-19
A new report from Reuters Events offers guidance for pharmaceutical industry solutions providers looking for fresh insights into marketing strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic. The report offers agencies a four-step strategy for marketing during the pandemic, and includes perspectives from […]
ICER Hosting Series on Drug Pricing During a Pandemic
The Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) is scheduled to host a three-part series focused on drug pricing during a pandemic. The first session, which will discuss cost-recovery pricing, is set for noon EST July 24. Confirmed speakers include: Afton Cissell, JD, Senior Counsel […]
