Promoting Health Equity Efforts in Sub-Saharan Africa Via Social Entrepreneurs
Biotechs and pharma startups popped up across Africa during the COVID-19 pandemic, with so-called social entrepreneurs taking the lead. The World Economic Forum recent published a report on innovations driving health equity efforts in sub-Saharan Africa, highlighting the role of social entrepreneurs, underappreciated solutions to tackle barriers to care, and how the public and private sectors can work together.
Crescendo Health Gets $3.4 Million to Support Clinical Trials with Real-World Data
The startup Crescendo Health has announced it received funding totalling $3.4 million to expand its real-world data (RWD) offerings. The company launched a platform that allows researchers and clinicians to integrate healthcare data from electronic health records (EHR), payer records, pharmacy claims, and more with clinical trial data to accelerate research and therapeutic development.
BioPharma Dive 2023 Biotech Executive Outlooks
In a new BioPharma Dive panel hosted at this year’s J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference, executives from ABIO-X, Ovid Therapeutics, and Lifemine Therapeutics spoke about their projections for the new year. Their outlook was somewhat tempered by the current down market and prospects of drug pricing reform, but they were at least somewhat optimistic.
Examining Political Determinants of Health
Social determinants of health (SDoH), characteristics like race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, geographical location, and housing status, have been increasingly recognized as contributing to health outcomes. However, another set of factors affecting health outcomes are political determinants of health, policies that affect population health in a given community or locale.
Real-World Data Study Shows Letrozole and Palbociclib Combo Effective for Black or Hispanic Breast Cancer Patients
Although frontline letrozole and palbociclib combination therapy did not improve survival for patients with estrogen receptor-positive, HER2-negative, advanced breast cancer in clinical trials, Black and/or Hispanic patients saw an increase in progression-free survival and overall survival. Dr. Adam Brufsky discussed the study in a talk at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.
Inflation Might Have a Good Side? – Managed Healthcare Executive State of the Industry Survey
In its latest annual State of the Industry survey, Managed Healthcare Executive found that many respondents saw there could be a good side to inflation for the healthcare sector, despite its many negative effects. Many predict layoffs, decreases in care, increased spending, and costs being shifted to patients and their employers.
Verana Health Publishes Real-World Data Ophthalmology Study Replicating Phase III Trials
Verana Health has announced the publication of its research in Ophthalmic Surgery, Lasers and Imaging (OSLI) Retina. The study used de-identified real-world data (RWD) and replicated two phase III trials for the use of Regeneron in wet age-related macular degeneration, making it the first of its kind in the field.
Involving Doctors in Hospital Governance Reduces Burnout and Improves Patient Outcomes
The Australian Medical Association (AMA) has released a new position statement promoting the involvement of doctors in hospital governance. The organization notes that doing so will help improve workplace cultures and thereby improve patient care and subsequent health outcomes. Moreover, their direct interactions with patients provides know-how for things like resource allocation and space planning.
CMS Examines Coverage Options for HIV PrEP Preventative Care
A new analysis has been launched by the US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to evaluate the nationwide coverage of HIV preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP), a group of antiretroviral drugs that prevent HIV infections and transmission when taken appropriately. The drugs, which hover at around $2300 a year, fall under Medicare coverage for some states but not all.
FDA Defends Decades-Old Abortion Pill Approval Decision Against Conservative Challengers
A group of conservatives called the Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine challenging the approval of mifepristone, a pill used for safe abortions, has met resistance from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The group and other far-right activists claim the agency rushed the drug’s approval and claim that the agency declared pregnancy an illness in the decision.
Patient Advocacy Groups Butt Heads with CMS Over New Alzheimer’s Drug Coverage
With the accelerated approval of lecanemab, Eisei and Biogen’s new Alzheimer’s drug, patient advocacy groups are gearing up for another fight with the US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) over the agency’s previous decision not to cover drugs in its class unless patients are enrolled in clinical trials. If nothing changes, many patients would have to pay the full list price of $26,500 for one year of treatment.
Ipsen CEO Talks Rare Disease Therapeutic Development and the Risks of Gene Therapy
David Loew, CEO of Ipsen, spoke at the JP Morgan Healthcare Conference about his outlook on the rare disease field. Loew noted that Ipsen was leaning into the market full-steam, regardless of pressure from Big Pharma companies attempting to crowd the space. That said, the CEO was more cautious on the gene therapy and neuroscience fronts.
Increasing Access to New Medications for Patients Across Africa
Africa deals with a disproportionate disease burden but patients throughout the continent have less access to new therapeutics than their peers in wealthy western nations. In a new IQVIA article, Mridu Bhutani discusses some of the underlying causes of this health inequity and covers ways that African nations can and are addressing them.
NHS Confederation and ABPI Report Recommends Collaboration to Increase Access to Innovative Therapeutics
A newly published report from the NHS Confederation and Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) indicates that collaboration between the NHS and pharma can help improve patient access to innovative treatments. The report noted that uptake of novel therapeutics was often stunted by a variety of barriers, systemic and situational. However, some examples of effective partnerships were discussed.
Nature Medicine Perspective: Next-Gen Evidence-Based Medicine
The recent wave of digital health solutions, data analytics, and artificial intelligence (AI) is driving the newest generation of evidence-based medicine, according to a Nature Medicine perspective by Vivek Subbiah. These technologies are empowering novel clinical trials that utilize real-world evidence (RWE) and patient-centric approaches in a wide range of fields and disease contexts.
AstraZeneca Collaborates with Qure.ai for AI-Based Lung Cancer Diagnosis Pilot Trial
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 the highest lung cancer rates in the nation.
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 representatives contend that the nation shouldn’t pay less than significantly poorer countries.
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 medicinal use in humans (CBMPs).
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 brexpiprazole in treating agitation related to Alzheimer’s disease. It wasn’t the only application for the treatment of the otherwise intractable disease.
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 heavily on the industry’s minds, despite changes not being implemented until 2026.
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 monitoring telehealth utilization for future analysis and decision-making.
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 competition to keep prices of the live-saving drug at exorbitant levels despite the cheap cost of production.
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 are behind the companies’ exits.
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 effects, but are underutilized in the aforementioned populations compared to white Medicaid recipients.
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 intrahepatic cholestasis (PFIC).
