ICER Weighs in on Fair Access to Prescription Drugs

Independent nonprofit Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) published a new white paper entitled “Cornerstones of ‘Fair’ Drug Coverage: Appropriate Cost-Sharing and Utilization Management Policies for Pharmaceuticals.” The paper, coauthored by researchers at the UK’s Office of Health Economics, outlines a series of recommendations for the design and implementation of insurance coverage policies that affect patient access to prescription drugs.

“We intend for the criteria proposed in the white paper to… provide guidance for all participants in the health system—from plan sponsors designing their health insurance cost sharing tiers for their employees, to payers creating prior authorization policies, to drugmakers negotiating coverage terms, to clinical specialty societies and patient groups who want to hold all of the above accountable,” said Steven D. Pearson, MD, MSc, president of ICER. “We hope all parties can find in this white paper a guide to a common understanding of what is reasonable and what is not.” Read more here.

(Source: Institute for Clinical and Economic Review. ICER Publishes White Paper on Cornerstones for Fair Patient Access to Prescription Drugs, Launches Annual Assessment of US Payer Policies. September 28, 2020. https://icer-review.org/announcements/cornerstones_of_fair_access/)