CVS Caremark says its new program that allows clients to exclude coverage of some drugs with high launch prices could potentially reshape how drugmakers behave. According to The Hill, the PBM says the new program will utilize methods of analysis often seen in Europe, but not in America. "No one […]
Frakt Spotlights Hidden Costs of Medicare Part D
Medicare's prescription drug program, Medicare Part D, offers a number of plans from which to choose, high voluntary participation and mostly stagnant premium increases since the program's creation in 2006. What's the catch? Austin Frakt, with the V.A. Boston Healthcare System, in his recent write […]
State Governments Push for Solutions to High Drug Costs
While President Donald Trump's administration catches much of the spotlight in the fight against high drug prices, state governments are also working to implement their own strategies, according to a MedPage Today report. Nevada Sen. Yvanna Cansela, a Democrat, said during a briefing that 12 […]
AMCP Forum Spotlights Payment, Benefit Models for High-Cost Drugs
The Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy hosted a multi-stakeholder meeting last week in Baltimore at which attendees discussed some payment models health care payers could incorporate as high-cost treatments enter the market each year. The AMCP Partnership Forum, titled "Designing benefits and Payment […]
Experts: Drug Price Freezes Unlikely to Bring Lower Out-Of-Pocket Costs
Experts say recent price freezes by pharmaceutical companies are unlikely to result in lower out-of-pocket costs, according to a Time report. Pfizer, Novartis, Bayer are among the drugmakers who have said they will freeze prices on some of their drugs for the remainder of 2018. Merck & Co. […]
Report: Physicians Play Key Role in Lower Drug Prices
Prescribing physicians, according to a Bloomberg report, could play a key role in bringing down the cost of drugs for patients. According to the report, a main driver of high costs is a lack of "value consciousness" from prescribing doctors as the current fee-for-service paradigm pushes them to […]
The 7 Most Out-of-Reach Drugs
A recent Modern Healthcare Executive report takes a look at the seven most out-of-reach drugs as a result of their high costs. Biologics, according to West Monroe Partners Senior Director and Leader of Life Sciences Ed Francis tells MHE says while biologic prices will come down, they ultimately […]
Engelberg: Taxpayers Deserve Reasonable Drug Prices for Federally-Funded Drug Development
Alfred Engelberg, an Engelberg Foundation trustee, says U.S. taxpayers should not be forced to pay exorbitant prices on drugs discovered using federal funding. Engelberg in a commentary published on Modern Healthcare says the pharmaceutical industry has for some time made less significant […]
FDA Forming Group to Mull Drug Importation
U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb on Wednesday announced the federal agency is creating a group to consider policy options regarding drug importation, according to a Forbes report. The new effort is coming from a Gottlieb who in 2016 said Donald Trump's proposal to […]
Trump, Pfizer CEO’s Call Draws Criticism
Over a 10-15 minute phone call, President Donald Trump told Pfizer CEO Ian Read that the drugmaker's price hikes implemented July 1 had thrown a wrench in the administration's efforts to drop drug prices, leading to a six-month deferment of the increases. U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, a Democrat, expressed […]
