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Weekly View
March 4, 2022
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(Programming note: Weekly View will be back in your inbox on March 18th) |
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ICER’s Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Sarah K. Emond, MPP explained:
“For nine years, funding from CHCF has allowed ICER to lead a national discussion about how to align the prices in our health care system with the benefits patients receive from various treatments, therapies, and interventions. Policymakers are now regularly referencing ICER’s health-benefit price benchmarks when crafting legislation to address rising US health care costs, especially around prescription drug spending.
Building on our long partnership with CHCF, we are focusing on creating tools specific to California decisionmakers. These new reports, along with all of our value-based assessments, will continue to move the country toward a more transparent health care system that rewards medical innovation while also allowing patients to access the treatments they need.”
Let’s see what else happened this week…
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We will assess the comparative clinical effectiveness and value of subcutaneous semaglutide (Wegovy, Novo Nordisk), phentermine/topiramate (Qsymia, Vivus Pharmaceuticals), liraglutide (Saxenda, Novo Nordisk), and naltrexone/bupropion (Contrave, Currax Pharma) for the treatment of obesity. The Draft Scoping Document is open to public comment until March 23rd.
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President Joe Biden hasn’t given up on a proposal aimed at reducing prescription drug prices, especially for retirees. In his State of the Union address Tuesday night, Biden called for capping insulin prices at $35 a month for all Americans, as well as allowing Medicare to negotiate prices with drug manufacturers. Both the insulin price cap and Medicare negotiation provisions were included in last year’s proposed $1.75 trillion Build Back Better Act, which was a reflection of Biden’s goal of strengthening the social safety net and tackling climate change. However, the measure fell apart in the Senate late last year after clearing the House in November. |
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A nonprofit announced plans Thursday to make and distribute insulin at a low price. Civica Rx, which was formed four years ago with philanthropic backing, expects to sell its own versions of three widely prescribed insulin brands at no more than $30 a vial, or $55 for a box of five pen cartridges, for people with or without insurance. The insulin will not become available until early 2024, though, while a manufacturing facility is completed, and regulatory approvals are obtained. |
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Sanofi's annual drug pricing report lays out the latest info on the company's price hikes, rebates and rationale for the cost of new medicines. In the report's latest iteration, Sanofi reveals its price hikes averaged 1.5% last year but that its average net prices fell—once again—by 1.5%. Among its 81 drugs on the market, Sanofi raised the list prices on 50 last year, the report says. All hikes were within the U.S. national health expenditure growth rate of 5.1%, according to the company. |
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Pharmacy benefit managers — liaisons between pharmaceutical companies and health insurers that run patients’ prescription benefits — are one focal point in the debate over why drug prices are so high in the U.S. PBMs initially were formed in 1968 to process claims and negotiate lower prices with drugmakers. Now, PBMs administer prescription drug plans for more than 266 million Americans who have health insurance. |
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With seven adalimumab biosimilars lined up for a staggered launch next year, companies are doing what they can now to differentiate themselves from the pack vying for one of the world’s best-selling drugs of all time.
Both Pfizer and Teva-partnered Alvotech announced separately last Friday and Monday that they are seeking to obtain an interchangeability designation for their Humira follow-ons. The designation, if FDA signs off, would mean that pharmacists could automatically substitute the Humira biosimilars from both companies without a doctor’s input.
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After months of talks, the state of Nevada has joined a consortium formed by Oregon and Washington to pool purchasing power and get better prices on prescription drugs, the latest bid by a state government to try to blunt the rising cost of medicines. The Northwest Prescription Drug Consortium, which began in 2006, claims to facilitate the purchase of more than $800 million in prescription drugs each year and saved at least 1 million people in Oregon and Washington nearly $100 million over the last six years.
Besides purchasing power, the consortium tries to distinguish itself by charging a “low” administrative fee for each pharmacy claim, passing along all rebates for both traditional and specialty medicines, and offering the same contracted pharmacy rates for public sector and private employer groups. As part of the effort, the consortium works with Premier, a group purchasing organization.
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Want to work for a fast-paced, mission-driven organization? Look no further! ICER is looking to expand our team, which includes a diverse set of clinicians, researchers, and policy experts.
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Research and Health Economics
Program & Operations
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3/17: Chemotherapy-Induced Neutropenia Evidence Report
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3/28: COVID-19 Revised Evidence Report
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4/13: Beta Thalassemia Draft Evidence Report
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